


Until the End

by mltrefry



Series: Run With You [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence, F/M, Pond Era rewrite, Rewrite, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 234,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7984225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mltrefry/pseuds/mltrefry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Run with you" Pond era rewrite. The Doctor and Rose face the consequences of regeneration, Amy and Rory and the time lines surrounding them, and "She". She is a mystery taunting the Storm and determined to take out the Wolf by gathering their enemies and threatening their friends and family. She seeks revenge against the Doctor the one way she can hurt him: through his hearts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello Geronimo

TARDIS crashing. Wife … well, he didn't quite understand what happened with Rose when he regenerated, but he was sure it wasn't good. He could feel her mind, but it was dormant, and he was already regretting spending so much of the last day closed off from her.

He looked down, seeing Rose's hair spread out beneath her head, careful not to step on it as he steadied his TARDIS who was currently sparking and glitching and growling at him for hurting both her and Rose. He removed his suit jacket, too tight on him in this body, and tossed it aside somewhere.

"I'm sorry," He said, patting the rotor before reaching under the console and pulling out the fire extinguisher. He moved about the room, finding himself a bit more uncoordinated than normal post-regeneration as he put out the fire. The entire console room was beyond repair, he could see. A new desktop would have to be installed.

A shame, it was at least one thing he knew Rose liked.

He wasn't so sure she'd like the new him.

Especially if he was the reason she was currently laying on the grating like some kind of Snow White. All she'd need was the bitten into apple lingering by her hand, and she'd be all set. No, no, Snow White had black hair. Black as ebony. Sleeping Beauty was blonde. Beautiful, though not as beautiful as his Rose.

He knelt down by her head, brushing her hair away from her cheek. She looked peaceful, and it would be a shame to wake her. But she did look so much like one of those fairytale ladies under a sleeping curse that he had to try it. New lips to try out, and all, so there was that excuse as well.

The Doctor placed a chaste kiss on Rose's red painted lips, and waited.

And waited.

But nothing happened.

The TARDIS made a grown of protest, and maybe a bit of alarm. He hadn't even had the chance to mentally ask why before there was a loud crashing preceded his ship lurching about. He grabbed Rose protectively, a first in a very long time, and held her to him as the room tipped. His back hit the rail, Rose's head bumping his chest as the walls where now both ceiling and floor.

"Your a transdiminsional Time Ship." He growled out loud. "Can't you keep the room right way up even when the outside clearly is not?" The TARDIS hummed in a growl back at him. "Sorry," he apologized, knowing this whole situation was really his fault. He should have just regenerated once he had Rose. He shouldn't have held it off, not like he had. Jenny had likely seen him, this him, at some point because of River. Tim, well, he would just ask some uncomfortable question to verify his identity. He'd never even seen Donna at her wedding, and Rose could have easily given Wilf the envelope holding the lottery ticket he'd purchased to ensure his best mate's future. Another thing he could have done post-regeneration. Why, why, _why_ did he put it off?

Carefully, he made his way toward the jumpseat and laid Rose down on what was normally the back rest.

"I'll see what kind of mess I got us into, Sweetheart. Then I'll be back." He kissed her knuckles. "Promise."

He looked around, seeing what he could find to help get himself out the TARDIS doors at this angle. He supposed he could have just crawled up the grating, but it would be a right disaster when the floor panels would inevitably fall away.

The TARDIS nudged his mind, and he looked around in time to see the newly materialized grappling hook fall toward him. Dull points, at least, in case her aim hadn't been quite accurate or the drop so short. "Thanks, dear." He said rubbing a hand along the rail and getting a hum of satisfaction from the TARDIS before she groaned in pain. The doors above his head swung open as he whipped the grappling hook in a circle by its rope and gave it a toss. It caught on the edge of the door way, and he began to pull himself up.

He glanced back at Rose, making sure she didn't just suddenly stir awake, marveling at how she still looked entirely like a princess from a story. Put to sleep by a curse, his curse. Curse of the Time Lords, living on forever and regenerating instead of dying. He was her cursed apple, the cause of her current state.

Apple.

Why did an apple sound particularly appealing right now?

He could use an apple.

Mmm, apples. Supposed to keep the Doctor away. He wondered vaguely if that was an Earth saying that came about because of him. Would apples somehow become a way to stave him off? Pears, he could certainly see that happening, but apples?

The Doctor pulled himself out the open doors of the TARDIS, spotting a large home to his left, a large garden around him, and a little ginger girl staring at him in disbelief.

"Can I have an apple?" He asked her, a bit breathless from the climb and his new body not fully finished on the inside. "All I can think about is apples. I think I'm having a craving. That's new, never had cravings before." He managed to get himself over the edge and straddled the frame of the door. He looked down, seeing Rose where he left her on the jumpseat. "Good, good, everything still seems relatively, somewhat good."

"Are you okay?" The little girl finally spoke, startling him with more than just her Scottish accent. He hadn't been expecting that, or her to talk, really, and he had to grip the door frame to keep from flopping back inside. It would mean falling, he was never a fan of falling, was even more apprehensive about it now, given recent events.

"Just had a bit of a … fire. Sorta crashed a bit. It's fine, really. Hell of a climb up." He said as he turned back to the girl, swinging a leg so he was sitting on the edge. He didn't feel quite right in this body. It seemed to lack the grace his previous three had, and he wasn't so sure sitting so precariously was a good idea.

"Are you a policeman?" The little girl asked, shining her torch on his ragged looking clothes.

"Why? Did you call a policeman?" He asked her in turn, suddenly nervous about the possibility of sitting in jail while his ship was less than fully functional and his wife was in some sort of coma.

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" She asked, a bit hopeful that that was the case.

"What cra…." He started to say, suspicious of the idea, but the bolt of fire in his body made him stop short. He lost his balance, thankfully falling forward in stead of backward, and landed on his hands and knees.

"Are you all right, mister?" The little girl asked, kneeling down with him.

"I"m fine. It's okay, this is all perfectly norm …." Another bolt of fire, but this one went up his throat, shot out his mouth. He watched the regeneration energy float into the sky and disappear.

"Who are you?" She asked, more confused sounding than anything.

"I don't know, I'm still cooking" He admitted, catching his hands glowing in the corner of his peripheral but watching this girl's reaction. "Does it scare you?"

"No, it just looks a bit weird," She said with a shrug.

"And the crack in your wall, does that scare you?" He asked her, seeing the bravery waver in her big, brown eyes. He wondered, just briefly, if Jenny would have had eyes like that had she had been a proper child.

"Yes," This little girl told him bluntly.

He jumped to his feet, feeling awkward but was starting to think this would be his new normal. Brilliant. "Well then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor, do everything I tell you, and don't wander off." He said as he moved, watching this ginger girl more than where he was going and collided with a tree.

Maybe it was better that Rose was in a coma right now. If his last body had regeneration sickness and made him lay in a bed with a failing brain, and this one seemed to be working but perhaps just not properly, than he didn't want to think what she'd have been like the next go around if she were there to witness this stage again.

And as the word 'if' entered his mind, his stomach tied itself in knots. Because 'if' should not be a question.

"You alright?" His ginger friend asked, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh at him. Human's and their slap-stick humor.

"Early days, steering's a bit off." He replied, getting his senses back. "Come on, snack first, then we'll check on that crack." He stuck out his hand, partly without thinking, almost entirely out of habit, and was completely surprised by the cool little hand slipping into his. Not cool like him or Jenny, but from this small girl who'd been outside in nothing but her night gown and a coat. She lead him inside the house as if he was the safest being in the universe to be around, and that instant confidence, and the fact there was a sense of _off_ about her home, made him wonder who this little girl really was.

* * *

 

It was part experiment, part making the little girl smile that made him go through so many foods. He was positive he wouldn't like the beans, or the bread. Yogurt was a bit of a gamble, but he thought he'd give it a shot. When the regeneration energy still coursing through him reminded him that he was getting a bit weak from so much exertion post-change he switched gears and followed his taste buds. The combination they led him to was more than a bit unorthodox, but it was so delicious he didn't care. Fish fingers and custard! Fish custard! Sweet and savory and tastes like a bakery under the sea.

He and the girl ate their snacks in companionable silence, hers being ice cream right out of the tub, both smiling at each other like it was all some great joke. After popping the last fish finger in his mouth, the Doctor lifted the great, glass bowl and drained the last of the custard into his mouth. He felt it sticking to his upper lip, which was reassuring that it was currently the only mustache he had, and he whipped it away with his big gangly, not hairy but still manly hands.

"Funny," The little girl said, her smile too wide for her mocking to be serious.

"Am I? Good, funny's good." He replied, leaning in a bit. "What's your name?"

"Amelia Pond," She said with pride.

"Ah, that's a brilliant name, Amelia Pond, like a name in a fairy tale." He sighed, remembering his other fairy tale-like lady waiting for him to return. "Are we in Scotland, Amelia?" He asked her to distract him thinking on that too much.

"No, had to move it England. It's rubbish." She said, and he chuckled a little at that.

"So what about your Mum and Dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now."

Amelia looked at the giant tub of Ice cream in front of her with her broken heart shining in her eyes. "Don't have a Mum and Dad no more, just an Aunt."

He knew that tone, knew she'd lost them in some tragic way. Orphaned, essentially, but at least she had family to take her in. If Rose were here with him, he wondered if she'd have wanted to take her in. They'd done it here and there for a couple days over the years, took kids with no parents on safe trips and brought them back to where they were living. Give them something to remember as they grew up, a special thing just for them. Always amazed him how a woman who swore she wasn't really motherly, nor wanted young children, could be so good with them. Seeing her with them ….

"So your Aunt," he said, clearing his throat and getting his mind back to what was important. "Where is she?"

"She's out." Amelia said plainly.

"And she left you all alone?" He asked, looking about the big house in surprise. Honestly, who does that?

"I'm not scared." Amelia said firmly, almost as if he offended her.

"'Course you're not." He said, looking at the girl and really taking her in. She had a fiery spirit to go with her fiery hair, and he could see that she wouldn't shy away from anything. Almost anything, anyway. "You're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of box, man eats fish custard, and look at you just sitting there. So you know what I think?" He asked, leaning forward on his arms.

Amelia mirrored him. "What?"

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall." He said, and she nodded slowly as her eyes got big.

"You wanna see it?" She asked him.

He smiled as warm and genuinely as possible. "Love to." He stood, holding out his hand for her to take even though she was clearly too old and too independent for such a gesture.

She took it anyway, and lead him up stairs and down the hall to her bedroom.

He quickly took in the space, seeing the usual child's bedroom with a bigger bed than most kids had. It looked, by the paint job, like it may have been a boy's room at one point and no one bothered to adapt it. On the bedside table he spotted a large picture of two adults, a woman and a man who shared equal similarities to Amelia. Her parents.

But that wasn't the only thing that got his attention, for the crack in her wall was not a typical crack in the least. He felt the convergence of time and space on that crack, feeling it was made by something, purposely splintering reality for something to come through.

Cold fear shot over him as he approached the crack, wondering if Jackie or Pete suddenly had to come back through for one reason or another. Then he remembered that time moved faster over there.

"Amelia, what year is it?"

"1996," She replied, and he whipped around to look and see if she was serious. She was.

"1996," He repeated. "So not the Tylers, then?" He mumbled to himself as he reached out and ran his fingers along the crack. It wasn't the parallel, but somewhere else. He tapped the wall, feeling no change in solidarity around the glowing white light. "How long's the crack been here?"

"Not long." Amelia replied, and he turned to see her toying with an apple and a butter knife. He wasn't sure when or where she'd grabbed the two. Maybe she'd gone back down stairs after he'd asked her the year. His mind did kind of wander off there for a moment, realizing a younger version of his wife was here somewhere. Still young and innocent before her troubled teen years hit and she'd lose most of that wonderful, youthful trait. It occurred to him at that moment that Amelia would be about the same age, and she didn't have that innocence in her eyes. He watched as she looked the apple over in her hand. "I used to hate apples," She'd said, "So my Mum put faces on them." She extended the apple toward him, and he came over to collect it.

"Sounds good, your Mum." He said as he looked at the smiley face Amelia carved into it. "What happened to her?"

Her eyes shot toward the picture by the bed. "She and my Dad were in an accident." She replied, stating it like a fact, cold and detached while her eyes showed her pain.

When she returned her gaze to him, he smiled. "I'll keep it for later." He said, putting the apple in the pocket of his trousers before turning his attention back to the wall. "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing: where's the draft coming from?" He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the crack, reading the results. "You know what the crack is?" He asked Amelia redundantly.

"What?" She asked.

"It's a crack," He replied as he ran his fingers along it once more. "I'll tell you something funny, though. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put. 'Cause the crack isn't in the wall."

"Where is it then?"

"Just here. Two parts of time and space that should never have touched, pressed together here in the wall of your bedroom." He heard something, an echo of some kind, and pressed his ear to the wall by the crack. "Sometimes, can you hear …?"

"A voice?" Amelia finished, "Yes."

The Doctor reached into his pockets, searching for his stethoscope, remembering that it was in his blazer and he'd gotten rid of that. He then looked around the room, spotted a water glass on the bedside table, and darted for it. A flick of his wrist helped empty the glass of its previous contents and he returned to the wall. Placing the cup on the wall, he listened using it to amplify the sound.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." A voice declared.

"Prisoner Zero?" The Doctor mumbled.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped. That's what I heard," Amelia confirmed. "What does it mean?"

"It means on the other side of this wall there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner." The Doctor replied as he backed away from the wall, putting himself a bit more between Amelia and the crack. "Do you know what _that_ means?"

"What?" She asked.

"You need a better wall." He said, trying to think of what he could do to seal it. But who was prisoner zero, and what kind of prison was on the other side of the crack. Simple misdemeanors, or was this the place of murderers? He looked over the crack, then the desk in front of it. "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way," He said as he moved to the desk and lifted it out of the way. "The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut." He considered, "Or…." Or he'd just let a bunch of criminals out of prison.

"What?" Amelia asked.

He turned, looking down at the little ginger girl. "You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine, and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?"

"Yes." She said, down trodden because any child who lost their parents probably had heard it a lot.

"Everything's going to be fine." He said, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Then again he had no idea what he looked like, if he was even kind looking to begin with. He wished for the dozenth time that he wasn't navigating this alone and held out his hand to little Amelia. She took it, and he pointed his sonic at the crack.

It widened, and he could make out what looked like high-security prison cells on the other side. Very, very barely he thought he saw a familiar face smirking knowingly at him from the cell across the way. He stepped closer, noting she crossed her arms, looking smug before she disappeared behind what looked like a giant eye with a blue iris. Amelia gasped quietly, hand tightening around his. A little ball of light, fuzzy around the edges, darted out and hit the Doctor, knocking him back a little and making him stumble on to the bed. The crack snapped shut, disappearing entirely.

"There, you see? Told you it would close." He said, straightening his tie. He liked that, sorta, though there was something that didn't feel quite right about it.

"What was that thing?" She asked. "Was that prisoner zero?"

"No, I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard." He said, reaching into his trouser pockets, searching until he found the bill fold paper. "Whatever it was, it sent me a message. 'Prisoner Zero has escaped,'" He read. But they knew that already, it had been repeated to the point that Amelia had already known what the voice on the other side of the wall had been saying. Unless….

He stood, frantically looked around the room then stilled. He tried to look without looking, but Amelia distracted him.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

"I think Prisoner Zero escaped through here." He said, dashing out the room and down a flight of stairs. "Brand-new me, nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing. In the corner of my eye," he tried again on this level, and he thought that maybe there was something there, something he shouldn't ….

The TARDIS cried out, her engines screaming and the cloister bell chimed in warning.

"No!" He cried, darting for the stairs, hearing Amelia following him. "No, no, no, no, no." He cried as he ran out the house to his injured Time Ship.

"What's happening?" Amelia's voice called behind him.

"I've got to get back inside." He said as he detached the grappling hook and pulled the rope up. "The engines are phasing, it's going to burn, and I can't have that happen to my girls." He said as he began to tie the rope around the inner door handles.

"But it's just a box," Amelia said with confusion as she looked it over. "How can a box have engines?"

He smiled at her. "It's not a box, it's a time machine." He said in a way that he knew would make her eyes go wide.

He wasn't disappointed. "A real one? You've got a real time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized. Five minute hop into the vortex should do it." He said as he climbed up on to the edge, pulling the grappling hook up but the rope.

"Can I come?" She asked.

The Doctor barely considered, knowing exactly what his wife would have said. "Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes, I'll be right back." He caught the worried look on her face before she masked it. "Trust me, I'm the Doctor. Might be closer to ten minutes, maybe as much as twenty-minutes, but I _will_ be back." He said, and she started to smile. "Geronimo!" He cried, swinging his legs over and hopping down.

In a strange way, the ship righted itself when he came in, and he face planted on the grating. She hummed something like a "that's what you get" before groaning in pain.

He was just thankful he had the grappling hook held away from him before he jumped. Giving the rope a good tug, the doors shut before he got to his feet. He sent the ship into the Vortex, and he felt her hum of relief. Now that this girl was taken care of, he moved on to the other.

He was pleased to find Rose was essentially in the same position he left her in, except on the seat instead of back rest. Of course, it would have been the best if he'd reentered to find her sitting up with her eyes open and cheeky grin.

He lifted her, holding her to his chest as he carried her to the corridor. The TARDIS moved the medbay close by, and he sent a silent thank you to the wonderful ship as he carried his wife inside.

Setting Rose down on the bed, he had the scanner going over her, checking on her condition as he pondered the whole Prisoner Zero situation. He would have seen Prisoner Zero escape if it had when he opened the crack. Would have noticed something off about the house. But he did, didn't he? Just a slight something in the corner of his eye. Just like when someone is using a ….

Oh! Oh, that was very much not good.

"Sorry, Sweetheart," He said as he kissed Rose on the forehead. "I'll have to come back for you later." He gave her one last kiss than darted out the medbay.

The TARDIS was suddenly growling in his mind, protesting as he put in coordinates.

"It's to save a little girl! Blimey, you can hold on for just a moment or two, can't you? You're still gorgeous even if you are a little … crisp." She zapped him. "Ouch!" He said, shaking his hand before glowering at the rotor. "Don't think I won't find the mallet." He warned, and she landed with a harder shudder than normal. He sent her one last glare from where he fell against the grating, and then got up, bolting for the doors in an effort to warn Amelia.

* * *

 

Amelia Pond once had parents who embraced her imagination, her wonder, and her sense of adventure. Such was the case that had that crack in her wall been there when they were around, and she told them all about the Raggedy Doctor who closed it and then disappeared in his magic blue box, they would have simply told her to write the stories down, and tell them all about it after tea. Instead, she was the ward of her aunt who didn't understand, freaked out about this imaginary friend and how it was a man of all things, and placed her in years of therapy. And while the therapist was at least patient and understanding enough to not immediately shut down the possibility that this actually happened, she often redirected Amelia to talking about other interests. Not the most conventional of therapy treatments, but it helped. And since her Aunt insisted on living in her grandparents' old home in Leadworth, it was also all she could get unless she wanted to commute to London.

As she got older, the dream of the Raggedy Doctor returning to take her away from the stupid Aunt and the terrible therapy, the boring town full of old people where nothing ever happened had faded away. They changed to other dreams, like writing silly books like the ones she'd occasionally indulge in, or maybe even going to school like Rory had, though not to be a nurse. Something, though. Anything.

But modeling paid well, and she didn't mind heading into the city like her Aunt always had. And it was on the return of one of these trips that she came up the drive, got out of the car, and fell against it as she looked at the blue police box sitting in the garden next to the shed her aunt bought to replace the one that 'simply collapsed' twelve years ago.

She considered calling Rory, or even Mels, and telling them that it was real. Then she remembered that the former was at work, the latter god knows where, and she headed inside the house. She glanced at the box repeatedly.

Amy, as she preferred to go by these days, entered the old family home quietly, her heart stuttering as she heard a voice everyone tried to convince her wasn't real calling her name in a frantic manner. But it couldn't be real, someone simply broke in. She didn't know who would, but she'd give 'em a good smack for their trouble.

Picking up the cricket back her aunt kept by the door for just such an occasion, one Amy frequently mocked before, she ventured carefully and quietly up the stairs. When she came up behind him, she panicked, and hit him.

The Raggedy Doctor, solid and breathing, was now laying on the floor by her feet and knocked out cold.

"Oh my God!" She cried out, not really knowing what to do, or think.

Kneeling down, Amy brushed her hair back as she looked him over. He looked exactly the same. Exactly, not a single thing being different from what she remembered, and she was wondering if she was hallucinating. She'd have to tie him up or something, just to be safe. Darting up to her room, she rummaged through her closet and found the Halloween costume she'd worn last year: Sexy police woman. It came with cuffs, a fact Mels had been quick to point out and only rolled her eyes when Rory had stammered and blushed.

She was about to simply run downstairs and cuff the Raggedy Man to the heater when she realized she could do more. Maybe he just aged well, came back wearing the same clothes. Maybe she could find out who he was and what he really wanted if she played pretend for a bit.

Changing her clothes for the costume, Amy ran down stairs and dragged the Raggedy man to the heater and cuffed him there. Not long after, she noticed he was stirring. She could do this, she could pretend to be a cop. Her costume looked real enough, though the skirt was a little short, and the top showed a bit too much cleavage, but he was a man, what would he notice?

She took a deep breath, turned to the fake walkie talkie, and began to speak as he woke up.

* * *

 

Pretending to be a policewoman was the worst idea Amelia had had in a long time. Because now she had the one person she thought might be able to do something about the sharp-toothed, eel like alien in the room she never knew was there cuffed to the heater. And she realized she'd lost the key to the cuffs somewhere in her bedroom.

She crouched beside him as he tried to get the silver thing with the blue light on the end that she remembered from her childhood to work while it was covered in goo. Alien goo.

There was a white glow around the door that she should have always known was there but didn't, and her heart caught in her throat. "What's that? What's it doing?" She asked the Raggedy man as he tried getting the thing to work.

"I don't know, getting dressed?" He retorted sarcastically. "Run, just go. Your back-up's coming, I'll be fine." He said, a flicker of concern in his eyes that she didn't think was for himself.

"There is no back-up." She admitted.

He looked at her in shock. "I heard you on the radio, you called for back-up."

"I was pretending. It's a pretend radio." She admitted, not really wanting to.

"You're a policewoman!" He insisted.

She took off the hat, her hair falling loose around her. It was still teased from the photo shoot, enhanced by they way she had to wind her long locks to hide under the bowler hat. "This is a costume from Halloween."

Before the Raggedy Doctor could say anything, the door to the room Amy was sure shouldn't be there fell to the floor, and a man in coveralls led a rottwieler into the hall by the leash. He glared at them with a menacing smirk, and Amy was completely and utterly confused when the man started barking and growling instead of the dog.

"What?" She shook her head, glancing down at the Raggedy Doctor.

"It's all one creature disguised as two." He explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Clever old multi-form. A bit of a rush job, though. Got the voice a bit muddled, didn't you?" He taunted the man and dog. "Mind you, where did you get the pattern from? You need a psychic link, a live feed, how did you fix that?" The man-dog-thing started coming toward them. "Stay, boy!" The Raggedy Doctor ordered. Much to Amy's surprise, it yielded. "Her and me? We're safe. Want to know why? She sent for back-up." He said with utter confidence.

"I didn't send for back-up." Amy said, voice rising as she wanted to smack this flesh version of her imaginary friend for still believing that.

He looked at her like she was the thick one. "I know. That was a clever lie to save our lives." He turned to the creature again, which was fine because Amy wanted to never look at him again. "Okay, yeah, no back-up. And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we _had_ back-up, which I normally do have, the fiercest kind of back-up, you'd have to kill us. Which you wouldn't, because my back-up would get you first. And believe you, me, that is not a pretty sight."

"What are you babbling on about?" Amy demanded in a loud whisper.

"I am babbling a bit, aren't I? Had a gob before, too. Carried that over, just a bit more disconnected in thoughts, I guess. Sorta. Probably." He looked back to Amy after he turned away for a moment. "Where were we?"

"Attention, Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded. Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded."

"What's that?" Amy asked, glancing around the house and honestly expecting to see a giant blue eye looking at her from somewhere.

"That would be back up." The Raggedy Doctor said to her with a slight grin. He turned back to the creature. "Okay, one more time. We do have back up, and that's definitely why we're safe."

Something about his words gave Amy confidence, and she truly believed him as she looked smugly at the creature.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The voice that made her think of the eye called loudly, and Amy lost the feeling of security.

"Well," Raggedy Doctor said, also losing his smugness. "Safe apart from, you know, incineration."

As the creature turned and ran, the Doctor started beating the silver cylinder thing against the floor and ignoring the repeated threats of the loud, booming voice. He cursed the device, then it suddenly started whirring, the blue tip lighting up, and he pointed it to the handcuffs. The end on his wrist popped open, and he clamored ungracefully to his feet.

"Run!" He shouted at Amy, giving her a bit of a push toward the stairs and following her as she ran down them. Once out the front door, he used the cylinder-lighty-thing on the door, and she heard it lock. "Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman?" He snapped at her.

"You broke into my house!" Amy replied, flushing a bit at her poor costume choices these last couple years. "What's going on? Tell me!" She demanded of him as he headed toward the blue box that filled her childhood dreams and spawned more stories than she dared admit to.

"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house, any questions?" He paused, looking to her as he snapped his fingers.

"Yes." She said, because there were a lot of questions Amy wanted to ask of this man who she had put so much faith in. A man who only showed up when she finally allowed herself to believe he really, truly, never would.

"Me too," he said with a sigh as he reached into his trousers and pulled out a key. He turned to the door, fitting it in the lock, but nothing happened when he turned it. "No!" He pounded on the door. "No, don't do that, not now!" He sighed, looking to Amy with guilt. "She's still rebuilding, not letting me in."

The voice that threatened the incineration of her home boomed above them, and Amy caught a glimpse of the man-dog-creature looking down at them from a window. "Come on," She said to the Raggedy Doctor as she took him by the arm and attempted to pull him away.

But he was stronger than she thought he should be, and he remained statue still with his eyes on something behind her. Amy's heart dropped into her stomach as she realized what he'd seen.

"Hang on, wait." He said as he suddenly pushed past her like her hand hadn't gripped him in the least. He looked over the shed, hand on the walls. "I destroyed that shed last time I was here, smashed it to pieces."

"So there's a new one, let's go." Amy went over and tried to pull at him again, but he wouldn't move.

He sniffed the wood, ran his fingers over it. "But the new one's got old. It's ten years old," He licked the wood. _Licked it._ Splinters in the tongue would not be pleasant, and what if there were lead in the paint? She wasn't sure when that stopped being a practice, but the point stood. He may have known where it was, but not what had been on it. "Twelve years. I'm not six months late, I'm twelve years late." He turned and glared at Amy. "You said six months, why did you say six months?"

"We've got to go," Amy urged him, but the Raggedy Doctor seemed determined.

"This matters, this is important, why did you say six months?"

"Why did you say five minutes?" Amy snapped back, and watched the Raggedy Doctor's face fall as if he finally understood who she was.

"What?" He asked, following her this time when she pulled him by the arm and lead him away.

Leadworth was small, and by half running they'd gotten a good distance away from the house in very little time.

It was when this unspoken safe line had been cleared that the Raggedy Doctor stopped them, pulling her to look at him. "You're Amelia." He said, and she had to admit she liked the way her proper name sounded coming from him.

"And you're late."


	2. The Eleventh Hour

"Amelia Pond, you're the little girl." He said, stopping Amy as she tried to continue marching away from her the house she'd lived in since she was seven years old.

"I'm Amelia and you're late." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"What happened?" He asked her.

"Twelve years," She bit back.

"You hit my with a cricket bat." He reminded her.

"Twelve years and a psychiatrist who pretended to believe me. Who let me believe in a fantasy for too long because her method was letting me talk about other things." She took a breath. "Had to make sure that I really wasn't crazy."

He looked like he was about to say something to that, but the threat of incineration came through a tinny sounding speaker and he turned toward an ice cream truck instead. Amy wondered as to why, when the threat was repeated instead of the silly song that beckoned kids to spend their hard-earned allowance on a frozen treat.

"We're being staked by an ice cream van?" She groaned, following the Doctor toward it.

"Why are you playing that?" She heard him ask the old vendor as she approached them.

"It's supposed to be Claire De Lune." The vendor replied, confused as to why it was also coming from the radio. The Doctor picked it up, holding it to his ear, though he really didn't need to. Even those who had in-ear headphones looked confused, and Amy started to wonder if maybe the threat was somehow heard over every and any speaker.

"Doctor," She spoke his alias for the first time, and ignored the satisfying thrill it gave her when he turned toward her. "What's happening?"

He took her hand and leaned in. "Something very not good." He said, soft and quiet before giving her hand a tug and leading her to the nearest home. He ran to the front door and entered without so much as a knock. She recognized Jeff's gran, her name escaping her entirely at the moment, and Amy started tugging a bit on her skirt. "Hello!" The Doctor beamed. "Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television faults in the area," he glanced at Amy over his shoulder, then looked her over. "Also crime," he added. "Let's have a look." He darted to Jeff's gran, taking the remote from her.

"I was just about to phone. It's on every channel." She said to the Doctor before looking over at Amy with a double take and a smile. "Hello, Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman now?" She asked sweetly.

"Sorta." Amy replied, tugging at her skirt again.

Gran looked a bit thoughtful. "Weren't you a model?"

"Gotta pay for the academy somehow," Amy replied with a nervous laugh. "Modeling pays good."

"Well it should, being only in your knickers and all." Gran said with a nod, and Amy's cheeks heated up. "Whose your friend, Amy?" She added, gesturing to the Doctor.

He looked confusedly at gran, than turned to the her. "Amy? You were Amelia." He protested.

"Yeah, now I'm Amy," She said with a slight shrug.

"Amelia Pond, that was a great name." He insisted.

"Bit fairy tale." Amy replied, agitated by his dwelling on such a small thing.

"I know you, don't I?" Gran asked, really taking him in. "I've seen you somewhere before."

The Doctor smiled warmly at her. "Not me, brand-new face, first time on." He said, turning back to Amy with accusations in his eyes. "You model in your knickers?"

"High end, kind the posh people buy. Don't do it often." She defended herself, though she didn't understand why she felt the need to. Anyone else, and she would have simply said 'yep' and moved along. She didn't even let Rory make such a big deal of it. But him, the Doctor, unchanged since her childhood, she felt the need to say something.

"You were a little girl five minutes ago." He said with complete sincerity, as if that was his reality. That literally five minutes ago, of fifteen or twenty-five, she had been a little girl in the garden watching him jump back inside his big, blue box.

"You're worse than my aunt." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everybody's aunt." He said like a threat, then became bashful. "And that's not how I'm introducing myself." He said to Gran who smiled at him like she was still trying to figure out how she knew him.

Amy looked to her feet, listening as her imaginary friend, who was real and judged her for doing what she did used his cylinder thing on something. Different languages spoke in a rhythm that sounded a lot like the threat from the aliens.

"So it's everywhere, in every language." The Doctor said, setting something down and darting past Amy to the window. She looked up, followed him, tried to see what he could. "They're broadcasting to the whole world." He said as he opened in the window and half crawled out to see.

"What's up there? What are you looking for?" Amy asked when all she could spot were a few clouds in a blue sky.

The Doctor popped back inside, clapped his hands together. "Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core, they're going to need a forty percent fission blast." He rambled as Jeff, tall striking Jeff who Amy had fancied off and on her whole life, walking into the room looking utterly confused.

Jeff looked between her and the Doctor, hardly blinking when the slightly shorter, skinny, gangly man walked up to him. It almost looked like the Doctor wanted to get into his face, but couldn't quite make it.

"But they'll have to power up first, won't they?" The Doctor said to Jeff as if they'd been talking about this the whole time. "So assuming a medium sized starship, that's about twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes to what?" Amy asked.

"Are you the Doctor?" Jeff asked him, and Amy wanted to die.

"He is, isn't he?" Gran said, the realization of who he was finally coming to her. "The Raggedy Doctor. All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor, it's him."

"Cartoons?" The Doctor turned to her with a slight grin, like he was seeing that little girl all over again and thought she was plain adorable.

"It is him, isn't it?" Jeff asked, his mouth stretching wide.

"Shut up, Jeff." Amy snapped at him. "Twenty minutes to what?" She turned to the Doctor, not losing the growl in her voice.

"The human residence." The Doctor said to her, all humor gone. "They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship and it's going to incinerate the planet. Twenty minutes to the end of the world." He said in an easy voice as if he was somehow stating the weather, but Amy caught the worry in his eyes.

He bolted from the house, and all Amy could do was wave quickly to Gran and Jeff before following after the Doctor.

He walked with purpose, his shoulders tensing as he glanced around them. "What is this place, where am I?" He asked.

"Leadworth," She replied, confused. How could he not know where he was?

"Where's the rest of it?" He asked.

"This is it."

"Is there an airport?"

"No."

"A nuclear power station?"

"No."

"Even a little one?"

"No."

"Nearest city?"

"Gloucester, half an hour by car." She said, growing more frustrated.

"We don't have half an hour, do we have a car?" he asked, becoming as exasperated as she was.

"No." She said firmly.

"Well, that's good. Fantastic, that is, as is being able to say that word again. New new teeth. But's not going to help me with the fact that I have got twenty minutes to save the world, and I've got a post office. And it's closed." He growled then gasped, clutching his chest as he collapsed on the ground and spit out a trail of gold mist like he had when she was a kid. "And I'm not ready, I'm not done yet. It's Sycorax all over again. No, not that bad."

What the sodden hell was he going on about?

The sky darkened, and the ramblings of what was clearly a crazy person became the least of Amy's concerns.

"What's happening, why's it going dark?" She asked as she looked up at the sky. The sun flickered gray. "What's wrong with the sun?"

"Nothing," The Doctor said through his teeth. "You're looking at it through a force-field. They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet." He got to his feet, legs shaking a it before he managed to stand straight. He glanced around, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, and here they come, the human race. The end comes and you lot are taking bloody pictures!"

"This isn't real." Amy said, staring at the former figment of her imagination. "This is some kind of wind up?" She crossed her arms, wondering who she'd have to yell at for this one. Mels was the most likely candidate, somehow finding someone who looked like the man Amy told her about in their childhood, made him dress in clothes that looked like those in the drawings Amy made. It could have been Rory, but she really didn't think he'd have the nerve to pull this off.

"Why would I wind you up?" The Doctor, or whoever, asked her honestly.

"You told me you have a time machine." She said, seeing what would happen next.

"And you believed me." He reminded her.

"Then I grew up," She spat back.

He groaned. "Oh you never want to do that." His eyes went wide, and he smacked his forehead. "No, hang on, shut up, wait. I missed it. What did I see?" He asked, smacking his forehead a couple more times before looking out at the crowd. "I saw…." His eyes went wide, realization coming to them as he looked up at a nearby clock before looking back at her. "Twenty-minutes. I can do it. Twenty minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me." He said, getting ready to move.

"No!" Amy said, grabbing his raggedy tie and pulling him back toward the street to a parked car, the driver just getting out. She ignored the Doctor's protests as she took the opened car door from the driver and stuck the Doctor's tie in it before shutting it, essentially trapping him. She took the keys from Mister Johnson who looked utterly confused, and locked the door with a chirp using the remote.

"Are you out of your mind?" The Doctor's voice cracked.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"You know who I am." He replied evenly, trying to earn some confidence from her, she supposed.

"No, really, who are you?"

"End of the world, twenty minutes." He attempted to distract her.

"Better talk quickly, then." She insisted, crossing her arms and glaring down the Doctor.

"Amy," Mister Johnson said nervously, and she turned to the old man. "I'm going to need my car back."

"Yes, in a bit." She said, turning her annoyance to the poor, old guy. "Now go have coffee."

She turned back to the Doctor. "Catch," he said, chucking her a red ball that she snagged with one hand. Only it wasn't a ball at all, and she uncrossed her arms to run the fingers of her other hand over the smiley face she carved in the surface of the apple. Twelve years ago.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm a time traveler. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true, only for me it wasn't nearly that long. I'm real, what's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over." She looked back at the Doctor, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and it scared her. "That apple is as fresh as the day you gave it to me because you gave it to me not an hour ago. Please, Amy. Even if you don't _want_ to believe, try to. For Twenty minutes, just try to believe."

She didn't know what to think, believe, anything. She was told by her psychiatrist that he may have been real, but she shouldn't talk about him so much. She eventually made herself believe he wasn't real, wanting to move on and not live in such a fantasy when life was often so surreal. And here he was, her Raggedy Doctor, a time traveler, giving her back the apple from the night her life changed for a second time, begging her to be that little girl again if only for twenty minutes.

She unlocked the door. "What do we do?"

* * *

 

 _Duck_.

The simple text was all the warning Amy needed, and she pushed Rory down as the wails of the siren from the Doctor's "commandeered" transportation grew a little too loud. The window beside them shattered, and a moment later the Doctor was climbing up the extended ladder, placing himself between them and Prisoner Zero in the form of a mom with two girls.

"Right, hello, am I late?" he asked, glancing at a clock as Amy and Rory got to their feet. "No, three minutes to go, so still time." He said, and Amy imagined he was probably grinning.

"Time for what, Time Lord?" Prisoner Zero taunted.

"Take the disguise off, they'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies." He said casually.

"The Atraxi will kill me this time. If I am to die, let there be fire." It replied casually.

"Okay," The Doctor said, taking a step closer to it. "You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again, just leave." He suggested.

"I did not open the crack." It replied.

"Somebody did." The Doctor countered.

"And I do not have access to her any longer. She's back at the prison, though I suspect not for long. She's looking for you, Time Lord, and twelve years ago she found you."

Amy stepped closer to the Doctor, craning to see that there was a look of momentary recognition to his face before he masked it quickly. He glanced over at the wall. "And we're off." He said smugly, clearly not the reaction prisoner zero was hoping for. "Look at that," he said, and Amy glanced to see the digital clock he must have been looking at, seeing it read zero. "Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever. But do you know what's happening right now? In one little bedroom, my team is working. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast The word is out, and do you know what the word is? Zero." Prisoner Zero's face fell, and the Doctor's grin grew, Amy's doing so in kind. "Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battle ship monitoring all Earth communications, I'd take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?" He reached into his pocket and takes out a phone. "The source, by the way, is right here." He taunted as spot light came through the window. "Oh, and I think they just found us."

Prisoner Zero smiled, shrugged and looked away from the Doctor. "The Atraxi are limited. While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me." It said with confidence.

"Yeah, but this is the good bit." The Doctor taunted. "I mean, this is my _favorite_ bit. Do you know what this phone is full of?" He asked, wiggling it between his fingers. "Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Uploaded." He beamed. "No TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare." He held his arms out, looked to his right. "Who da man?" He cried, his smile faltering as he met Amy's eyes like he wasn't expecting to see her there. Like maybe he thought she were supposed to be someone else. But it didn't last before a grimace came over him. "Oh, I'm never saying that again."

"Then I shall take a new form." Prisoner Zero said without much worry.

"Oh, stop." The Doctor sighed. "You know you can't, takes months to form that kind of psychic link."

Prisoner Zero smiled smugly. "And I've had years." It said, and the world became kind of hazy. Amy's head spun, then the floor gave out from under her as the world went black.

But she wasn't unconscious, for a second later she was a little girl again, back in her garden, looking at the spot where the blue box had disappeared. She felt a hand on her shoulder, sensed the Doctor beside her even though she knew he was gone. "Amy, listen to me." He said in her ear. "Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see?" He asked, and she did even though Amelia had never seen it. Amy had, and she was, in that moment, all grown up and still sitting on her suitcase, waiting for him to return. She remembered the room, the eel creature with the teeth and the goo. "Remember you went inside. I tried to stop you, but you did. You went inside. Amy," She turned, looking into the green eyes of her Raggedy Doctor, seeing his warm, kind smile. "Dream about what you saw." He asked her, and she thought about it very, very hard.

She felt hands on her shoulders, and stirred at the sound of her name being called.

She was mildly disappointed when she opened her eyes and saw Rory looking down on her instead. "What happened?" She asked.

"He did it, the Doctor did it." Rory cried with joy as he helped Amy sit back up. She looked around and saw there was no longer a prisoner zero, and the Doctor was glaring out the window.

"No, I didn't." He said bitterly. He pulled out the phone he'd had before, started pushing buttons and such.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked as he helped Amy to her feet.

"Tracking the signal back. Sorry, in advance." The Doctor said over his shoulder.

"For what?" Rory asked as he let go of Amy, allowing her to move closer.

"The bill," The Doctor said before his posture changed to perfectly straight. "Oi! I didn't say you could go." He yelled into the phone. "Article fifty-seven of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established, level five planet, and you were going to burn it? What? Did you think no one was watching? You lot, back here, now!" He hung up, tossed the phone to Rory, and grinned without any body to it. "Okay, now, I've done it." He turned sharply, heading out the ward.

Amy immediately started following him, hearing Rory trying to keep up. "Did he just bring them back?" He asked her as they followed the Doctor while he strode down the corridor with set shoulders. "Did he just save the world from aliens and then bring all the aliens back?"

Amy ignored him. "Where are you going?" She asked the Doctor instead.

"The roof," He said, pausing by the door to the locker room. "No, hang on." He turned to the door, pushed it open, and Amy followed.

He was sifting through clothes and cubbies, tossing most and holding on to a piece or two. "What's in here?" She asked him.

"I'm saving the world, I need a decent shirt." He replied. "To hell with the raggedy, time to put on a show." He said as he toed off the old, worn looking sneakers, loosened the damaged tie and tossed it aside with a look of regret.

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth. Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death, and now you're taking your clothes off?" Rory stammered as the Doctor untucked the rest of his shirt and pulled it off. "Amy, he's taking off his clothes."

She noticed. She wasn't complaining. She was used to scrawny with Rory, and while the Doctor was certainly on the thin side, she could see that it was an illusion. Muscles rippled in his back as he moved. A strong, wide back. His arms had minor definition, the subtle kind that didn't show their real strength. He turned toward them when he had his shirt off, and his chest and abs didn't disappoint either.

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you." He said before turning around and getting to work on the brown trousers.

Rory turned his back, glancing at Amy who could barely pull her eyes away as the Doctor stripped off the old, ratty pin stripped trousers. His pants were snug. Very snug, and she was hoping maybe he'd turn around so she could get an idea what was happening in the front.

"Are you not going to turn your back?" Her kinda, sorta boyfriend asked with annoyance.

Amy folded her arms, tilting her head a little. "Nope." She said with a grin, watching the Doctor as he put his gathered pieces of clothes on. He looped all the ties around his neck, leaving them hanging there.

"I'll figure this lot out on the go," he said as he gestured to the strips of cloth before walking past them. Amy watched his bum perhaps a little longer and a little more obviously than she should have in front of Rory, but then she realized the Doctor was about to handle the aliens he'd summoned back to Earth, and decided that may be the better show to watch at the moment.

* * *

 

After dealing with the Atraxi, the Doctor ran all the way back to Amelia - Amy's - house after he found his TARDIS key glowing. For old time's sake, he used it to open the doors, eager to head inside and find out what was waiting for him.

His ship did not disappoint. "Look at you," He smiled as he looked around the warm, glowing room that looked decidedly Spock. He wouldn't have liked it in his last two bodies, he was sure, but this one really enjoyed what he saw. "Oh, you sexy thing, look at you." He said, closing the door and running up to the console. He ran his hand over the dematerlization switch, caressed it before flipping it. He smiled as the engine groaned, the TARDIS humming with pride as he watched the rotor bob with glee.

"Now," he said to it. "What about our fourth heart?"

At this, the TARDIS hummed sadly, sending him directions to where he would find his wife.

His smile fell, and he ran to the room he was shown, pausing and shaking before the blue door across from their bedroom. It bore the image of a Wolf howling at the moon, and in the moon was the design of a rose. He put his hand on the knob, turning it and stepping through.

Rose was on a bed that looked luxurious and rich, her arms resting on her abdomen and her eyes closed. There was nothing else in the small room but a chair beside the bed, a very comfy looking chair fit for sleeping in, and a table between the two.

The Doctor walked over to the table, seeing the simple read out sitting on it for him to examine.

"Healing coma," he said after a glance over it. "My energy hit her, worsening what looks to be an existing symptom of the regeneration process." The TARDIS hummed an affirmative. "When will she come out of it, Old Girl? Any idea?" A hum of uncertainty. He set the paper down, looked at his wife, brushed at her golden hair. Placing a kiss on her temple, his hearts stuttered as he felt a spike in their connection, though nothing more happened. "I'm sorry." He said, tears prickling his eyes as he fell to his knees. "I saved the world today, and I kept thinking you should have been there. But you weren't, and it's my fault. I should have just regenerated the second I was back in the TARDIS. I shouldn't have held off. If I hadn't, you may have been awake by now." He reached up and took one her hands in his and squeezed it. "Rose, my Rose, my precious girl, please wake up. He kissed her knuckles, her hand, moved on to her cheek and then her lips.

The TARDIS hummed in his mind to sooth him, reassure him that she'd wake up when the time was right.

"I know," He said, taking a shuddering breath before forcing on a smile. "I met an amazing girl today. I think you'd like her. Her name is Amelia, well, Amy. She reminds me a lot of Donna. She helped me, Sweetheart, stubborn as she was she helped in the end. Think we should go pick her up? Take her on a trip to say thank you?" He paused, focusing his mind entirely on his bond with Rose. He thought he felt it spike, thought he felt approval. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he went with it. "I'll go get her then." He stood, placing her hand back on her abdomen but didn't let go just yet. "Don't sleep through the whole visit. It's me that's supposed to be the rude one." He leaned down, putting his mouth right by her ear. "And I'm still not ginger, either."

He definitely felt a spike then, and his hearts sped up and soared. It only lasted a second, barely that, but it was enough of a reassurance to him that she'd pull through. He kissed her brow one last time, then left.

He stepped out of the room, heading with renewed vigor to the console room and keeping his bond to his wife as wide open as possible. He popped in the coordinates, and flipped the switch, and flew the TARDIS back to Amy's garden.

He stepped outside into the cool, night air. A little later than he intended to return, but he noticed the light in the bedroom upstairs, the same one from when she was a child, was on. She was up, at least.

A moment later, Amy came striding out the front door toward him, a robe over her night gown and slippers on her feet.

"Sorry about running off earlier," he apologized. "Brand new TARDIS, bit exciting. Just had a quick jump into the vortex to check on something important, make sure everything was working well."

Amy was staring at him like she couldn't believe he was real. Again. "It's you. You came back." She said, and he furrowed his brow.

Felt different than it used to.

"Course I came back. I always come back. Something wrong with that?" He asked.

She looked him over. "You kept the clothes." She noted.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me, I kept the clothes." He considered for a moment if maybe he should have returned the clothes he borrowed the last time he had to make a wardrobe change within a hospital. Mind, he was naked except for the standard issue white cloth draped over corpses in a morgue, but maybe he could have brought them back at some point.

"Including the bow tie?" Amy had asked, looking at the accessory.

He liked the bow tie, and straightening it felt right. "It's cool. Bow ties are cool." He said with confidence, hoping Rose would agree. She was rather fond of the ties, and tying them for him. Did she know how to tie a bow tie?

"Are you from another planet?" Amy teased, and he sobered.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Okay," She said slowly, like she didn't believe him.

"So what do you think?" He asked, remembering the reason he came back at all.

"Of what?" She asked.

"Other planets," He replied. "Want to check some out?"

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It means, well, it means come with me." He said, gesturing to the TARDIS behind him with his head.

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Where?"

"Wherever. You. Like." He said with a grin.

She shook her head. "All that stuff. The hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero." She rattled off.

"That's just the beginning," he said excitedly. "There's loads more."

"It was two years ago." Amy snapped at him.

Oh, well. He wasn't expecting that, was he? Must have got the years wrong. Maybe it was a good thing Rose wasn't awake at the moment. A hundred years, and she never let his twelve month slip-up go. Now, well. ….

"So that's …."

"Fourteen years." Amy snapped.

"Fourteen years since fish custard." He said, looking at the girl in front of him who was trying so hard to be angry. Her hope was getting in the way, though. Hope in her eyes, pushing that anger back. "Amy Pond, you've waited long enough." He said with a gentle smile. "So, are you coming?"

"No," She said quickly.

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago." He reminded her.

"I grew up." She said, but he could see she still wanted him to push for her.

"I'll soon fix that," he said, snapping his fingers. The orange glow of the new console room washed over them, and he saw the hope in Amy's eyes change to wonder. She stepped past him, walking inside slowly. He chuckled to himself, and followed her, and closed the door behind him. "Well? Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all." He said, hoping she'd say the five words that never got old.

She looked around, and he did too. Taking in the multiple staircases, that lead to a landing above, offering a few different entry points to the expansive corridors.

"I'm in my nightie." Amy said.

Four words, not nearly as fun spoken from any other mouth but Rose's. Though, he was decidedly glad it wasn't the same tone or nightie style that accompanied that phrase from his wife.

"Oh, don't worry, plenty of clothes in the wardrobe." He waved it off, moving over to the controls. "So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or will, where do you want to go?" He asked Amy, watching as she circled the room another time.

"You are so sure that I'm coming," She said with smirk.

"Yeah, I am." He replied.

"Why?" She asked.

"'Cause you're the Scottish girl in the English village. All these years living here, most of your life, and you've still got that accent." He pointed out, reminding her that she may have changed her name and her attitude but deep down she was still Amelia, still hung on to her childhood. Still the girl who wanted to come on a trip with the Raggedy Doctor in his time machine and escape her life for just a moment.

She came up beside him, fingers on his gleaming console. "Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" She asked.

"It's a time machine," he reminded her. "I can get you back five minutes after we left." He leaned toward her, "What's tomorrow? Big photo shoot?" He asked.

"No, just stuff." She said eyes falling as her cheeks turned red.

"Alright, then. Back in time for stuff." He said, and the TARDIS poked his mind before something popped up beside his hand on the console. He looked down, seeing the new sonic screwdriver waiting to be plucked up. He retrieved it, looking over the new casing and light, admiring the little claw on the end. He set it to a healing function, pushing the button just to hear the new whir. "Lovely," he patted the console. "Thanks, dear." He said, feeling the happy hum in his mind.

"Why me?" Amy suddenly asked, getting his attention once again.

"Why not?"

"No, seriously. You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question: why me?"

"It's not like that, so you can wipe that thought from your head right now." He pointed firmly at her, not quite sure what to make of the wicked smirk that came over her. "I told a little girl I'd come back for her, and I failed. But then she grew up and helped me save the world, and we have a thing about giving those who save the world a trip or few as a way of showing our appreciation."

"We?" Amy asked, arching a brow. "Who's we?"

He went to say her name, but his hearts ached. What if Rose didn't wake up while Amy was here? "Me." He said. "Me and my blue box."

"A madman with a blue box." Amy countered cheekily.

"Precisely." He said, flipping the switch and sending the TARDIS off into space. "Goodbye, Leadworth." He said to her, seeing her grin change to one of pure excitement. He felt Rose in his mind, just a touch stronger for just a moment, and he smiled wider. "Hello, everything."


	3. What you've been missing

"Goodnight, Doctor." Amy said as she slowly climbed the stairs in a way that looked severely impractical and more clumsy than him. And he was so clumsy this regeneration, he learned that over the last few days. She turned and smiled at him, leaning against the rail.

"No nights on the TARDIS, Pond," He called back up to her, enjoying how that sounded more than 'Amy'. Amelia, he liked Amelia, but Amy wasn't quite the same on his tongue. Pond, Pond was a nice, easy name that rolled nicely with "come along." He watched as she vanished down her corridor, and sighed once she was out of sight. He hurt, all over, inside and out, and he instantly opened his mind as wide as he could and sought out Rose. Her presence was a bit stronger, though not nearly to the caliber he'd have preferred. He wanted to feel her caress, her every emotion, all of it.

He stretched, feeling his back crack in the effort, then headed for the stairs and down a different corridor than the one Amy had traveled.

The Doctor approached the door he'd partially avoided since his regeneration, the one with the image of the wolf chasing the storm. The one that had his and his wife's names brought together. He missed that, too. Only been a few days, but he missed her saying his real name. The last time hadn't been in passion or joy, or even good humored anger. It was her asking him to be safe, and in the end he'd let her down and regenerated. He hated that more than anything at the moment.

The Doctor entered the room, not enjoying that it changed along with the rest of the TARDIS. What once was pink was now gold in tone, the dark wood having lightened. The flowers one the tables no longer looked like cheery blossoms, but snap dragons. He avoided looking at it too long and headed into the adjacent washroom. He noted the added bowl and basin on the counter beside the sink, and filled up the latter. He grabbed a cloth, then carefully carried the bowl and basin out the washroom, out the bedroom, and across the hall. The TARDIS had opened all the doors for him, which was nice because he almost tripped on his own feet twice and sloshed water from basin to bowl three times before setting it down on the table by Rose's bed side.

Smiling down at her, he kissed her lips in a peck. "Hello Sweetheart," He greeted her, lifting her up and slipping the top of her dress down before resting her against one of his arms. "Thought you'd like to be cleaned up a bit while I tell you about my day. Well, my last couple of days, really." He said, shifting to pour the water into the bowl and dampening the cloth. He felt a spike of pleasure from her mind when the warm cloth touched her bare skin, though it wasn't much and didn't last nearly as long as he'd like. Still, he smiled. "Amy is turning out to be an excellent companion, I think you'll really like her. She keeps me in line since you can't, and I appreciate that a lot." He paused, focusing on washing her skin a moment. "She's observant, or can be when she chooses anyway …."

* * *

 

"This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland," The Doctor said to Amy as they looked at the space ship over the monitor. "All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and," he paused. "Shopping." Amy chuckled, overwhelmed and giddy by the whole of it. "Searching for a new home." He added, and she looked at him with awe she felt down to her core.

"Can we go and see?" She asked, clutching his arm.

"Course we can. But first, there's a thing." He said, turning more toward her.

"A thing?" She asked suspiciously.

"An important thing. We are observers, we try not to interfere wherever possible." He said, something on the monitor catching his eye, and he leaned forward toward it enough that his arms slipped from her grip.

There was that 'we' again. He claimed he'd said 'me' a little bit ago, but she swore it was 'we' and here it was once more. Maybe we meant he and her, and if that was the case, Amy didn't mind in the least. She supposed she should though, a little. What with the whole getting married to Rory in the morning bit.

But then the Doctor showed up, and she didn't quite remember him being handsome as a child. An odd, boyish kind of handsome, but still. Muscle definition was enough to turn a head when you knew what was under that professor look he had going. Oooh, naughty professor. She could get behind that.

No, no she was with Rory. Beautiful, wonderful, sweet Rory. And she loved him, she really, truly did down to her toes.

But she was also deprived a proper send-off, her best friend in jail for stealing a car, and the other girls in town all busy at home with their little ones or husbands. This trip with the Doctor, it was her send off, and if she wanted to fantasize a tiny bit over him than she would.

She'd half zoned out, watching the monitor, finding it off that it was so focused on a little girl crying. The Doctor appearing on it startled her, and she looked to where he was before and found him no longer there. Looking back at the monitor, the little girl was gone, and he was waving her out of the ship.

Grinning, she darted out, pausing as a computer voice warned her she was being monitored. The sky above her was visible through the glass ceiling, stars dotting the skies in a way she'd never seen before. When the Earth was moved and there were planets in the sky not that long ago, she tried to see the beauty in the clear skies above. Hard to do when there were homicidal pepper pots patrolling the streets and killing random people. Her smile died for a moment as she recalled it was during that time that Rory proposed.

"If we make it through this, we should get married." He had said. "I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She'd said yes, and meant it, and when the world was returned and he bought the ring she was glad. She went about planning everything and didn't think it through much. Because the world was saved, as it had been before from the pepper pots, and the creepy robots. Supposedly there was a time when everyone was lead to the roof, and posed to jump but she didn't remember that all that well. She'd been one of those people on the roof. And after each of those events, she'd do something to celebrate, like have her first drink, or lose her virginity. Getting engaged just seemed like the obvious next big thing. But on the night when the stars were shining bright above them along with other planets she'd never seen, she thought of the Doctor and wondered if he'd save them.

So was it really so implausible to find herself far from home on the eve of her wedding with the man who crossed her mind when Rory asked her to marry him? Especially is she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to go through with it anyway?

She didn't have time to dwell on it, because Amy took in the rest of the market place they'd seemed to be in. There was future mixed with the past, things from her time mixed with pieces and electronics of times yet to come. And it was wonderful.

"I'm in the future." She said with sudden realization as the Doctor came up to her. "Like hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries."

"Oh, lovely. You're she a cheery one." He said as he took her arm and guided her at a quick pace in what seemed to be a very specific direction. "Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?" He asked.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, wondering how he could go from praising it so highly to saying it was wrong.

"Use your eyes," he said with agitation. "Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?" He prompted, and Amy took in the surroundings once more.

"Is it the bicycles?" She asked, pointing out a rickshaw. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

"Says the girl in the nightie." He retorted, and Amy stopped to look down.

"Oh my God! I'm in my nightie." She said, looking down at the garment. Then she realized something: he'd let her float in space. Outside the ship. Holding on to just her leg. He'd have been able to see right up it, to her knickers. The Doctor saw her knickers. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Look around you," he said, getting her back on track. " _Actually_ look." He emphasized, and she took a look around her as they walked. "Life on a giant starship, back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me." He paused, moving to a couple at a table and taking one of their glassed of water and setting it on the floor. Amy didn't really see the fear he spoke of anywhere, though there was an odd, stifled feeling. But that could be easily ignored as she watched the alien who looked like a man set the glass back on the table, say something to the couple, and then tap his nose and walk away.

"Why did you just do that with the water?" She asked him as they moved alone.

"Don't know. I think a lot, it's hard to keep track. Now, police state." He said as they continued on. "Do you see it yet?"

"Where?" She asked.

He snapped his fingers and pointed to a little girl crying on a bench. The same girl he approached on the monitor. "There." He said. He moved to sit on a bench facing her, and Amy sat down beside him.

"One little girl crying, so?" She asked, watching him watch the girl.

"Crying silently." He said. "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they can't stop. Any parent knows that." He said without taking his eyes off the child.

"Are you a parent?" She asked him.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I have a daughter." He replied easily enough.

"Where is she?" Amy asked, watching the Doctor, gaging his reactions. "Is she with her mother?" She asked, glancing down at his left hand and seeing it naked. Not married then, at least not in a human way.

"No, she's away at school." He replied. "But that's why I don't understand what I'm seeing. Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking what's wrong."

"Is that why you went up to her?" Amy asked.

"It was." He replied, looking at her now. "I'm a parent, I see a child crying, I go up and ask her what's wrong. No one else is, you know why? 'Cause they already know, and it's something they don't talk about." He leaned a bit toward her. "Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows. Whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen. Which means it's everywhere. Police state."

* * *

 

"Knicked the girls ID and sent Amy to find her." He continued to tell Rose as he washed her back, shifting her curls when needed. "She asked me if there were other Time Lords aside from me and Jenny." He paused in his ministrations. "I didn't tell her about the war. First companion since you I haven't talked about it with. Probably because you weren't there to make me feel guilty for lying. How much do you think I would have lied if I hadn't had you these past hundred odd years, hmmm?" He resumed washing her back, only to realize he'd run out of skin to wipe down.

The Doctor blushed profusely as he realized he'd have to move on to the front.

"It's not like you haven't seen it before." He said to himself in a quiet voice. "Many, many times." He said, recalling it all with clarity. "But new eyes," He gently laid Rose back, took one look at her, and giggled. "Oh brilliant," he said, looking anywhere but at Rose. "I'm going to make such a fool of myself when you wake up. Be like an hundred year old adolescent doing it for the first time. Or worse, a _human_ adolescent doing it for the first time." The TARDIS hummed a laugh, and he gave a good nature glare to the ceiling before schooling his features into a serious one.

Rose was in a coma, to heal from an injury he caused. The last thing he should be doing is getting giggly over body parts he'd seen countless times. He forced that part of his brain to shut down, to go about washing her down in a clinical fashion.

"So, yes. Amy finds the girl and somehow manages to get herself to a poling station where she chooses to forget Starship UKs worst secret: that they were essentially torturing a star whale, the last star whale, in order to get it to fly them through space." He felt a spike through his bond with Rose, though not a pleasant one. "We ended up inside it's mouth, and I had to make it … well, it wasn't my finest hour, or escape, but I got us out." He sighed, but then perked up. "You'll never guess who we met afterward, though …."

* * *

 

"Nice moves on the hurl escape." The beautiful, goddess like woman in robes complimented the Doctor, though Amy was still a little miffed. Being puked on was bad enough, being the puke itself was worse. "So, what's the big fella doing here?"

"You're over sixteen, you've voted." The Doctor replied, his tone making it clear he didn't trust her. "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it."

"No," She shook her head. "Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject." She added the last bit with a bit of cheek.

"Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?" He asked, becoming a touch scarier despite being covered in sick.

"You're a bit hard to miss, Love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent of higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot." She teased.

The Doctor looked about to argue but stopped and ran his hand through his hair, scrubbing at it.

"Often, but not always, you have a woman with you. A blonde woman," This woman said, glancing at Amy and looking away quickly. "I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was."

"Your _family_?" The Doctor said incredulously.

One of the robotic things with the creepy, smiley faces twitched from where it was shot down. "They're repairing," The woman said. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move." She gestured the way she came from, and the Doctor and Am followed. After they rounded a couple corners, the woman said, "The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry XII, Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you and your beloved on the same day. Lizzy liked you enough, but she adored Rose."

The Doctor's eyes widened in understanding, which was good because Amy hadn't had a clue what was going on.

"Liz 10!"

"Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth X. And down!" She shouted, turning around with guns drawn. The Doctor pushed Amy down, but she turned her head to see two more robot things go down. "I'm the bloody Queen. Basically, I rule."

The Doctor got back up, smiling. "Rose would have loved you." He said with a sincere smile but sad eyes. Liz seemed to notice them too, and her own smile fell.

"I'm sad I didn't get to meet her." She said with a bow of her head.

"Me too," He said, nodding once then gesturing for Liz to lead on.

After a couple steps, Amy leaned toward him, whispering. "Who's Rose?"

"My wife." He replied without hesitation, though he said the word like it weighed heavily on his heart.

"Where is she?" Amy asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer in anyway.

The Doctor looked at her with glistening eyes that showed her how utterly heartbroken he was. "Not here." He said.

He said there were no other Time Lords other than he and his daughter, and it suddenly hit Amy what that would mean: his wife was probably dead. A widower. No wonder why he invited her along, what with his child away and his wife gone. He was lonely.

* * *

 

"Liz kept glasses on the floor with water. Reminders, Rose. Reminders that something wasn't quite right and she needed to figure it out. You would have loved her, I'm sure of it. Though I don't know why she thought Elizabeth the first was so fond of you. Or why she called her Lizzy, but neither here nor there, I suppose. An adventure for the future I'd wager." He lifted her again, getting the top of the dress back on her.

He grabbed the table, sliding it across the floor and making a lot of racket while also sloshing an absurd amount of water on the floor. The TARDIS hummed in protest.

"Sorry," he said to the ceiling, and the hum simmered down to a grumble. He then gingerly lifted the skirt of Rose's dress, fighting back the childish urge to giggle, and continued. "Now, where was I in our story?"

* * *

 

"Doctor, stop!" Amy said quite suddenly, having finally done what the Doctor asked and properly looked. Heard. And she realized that the Doctor was wrong, he didn't have three options, all ending in death. He didn't have any options at all. The children had petted the thing attached to the whale, and it triggered her memories of everything he'd said, that Liz said, and she pieced it all together.

"Sorry, you Majesty, going to need a hand." She said as she took Liz 10 over to the chair where she sat while they watched the video that put them in this awful spot in the first place. The one that had the same information Amy chose to forget, therefore deciding for the Doctor not to step in. Which, if his threats about taking her home were any indication, was precisely the wrong thing to do.

But now she was seeing things for what they were, and that was the Star Whale, last of its kind, was not being forced to do anything. It was enduring torture for no reason.

She forced Liz 10 to push the abdicate button, and the whale bellowed with what was likely relief.

"Amy, what have you done?" The Doctor asked as they lurched forward.

"Nothing, am I right?" She asked, her smile growing as the older man who monitored things noted the increase in speed.

"It's still here." Liz 10 said, not really believing what she was seeing by the look on her face.

"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago, it volunteered." She explained to the Queen. "You didn't have to trap or torture it, that was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry." She glanced at the Doctor who smiled back at her proudly, and she had to wonder if maybe his whole spewing about killing the whale and needing a new name was just his way of testing her after her voting mishap. She didn't think she'd care if it were, because she'd just saved a creature and all of the people riding on its back, and it felt good.

It was a bit later, after they spoke to Liz 10, and she handed the Doctor her custom mask as a promise that there would be no more secrets aboard the starship that they were back on the TARDIS. He'd put them somewhere called a Vortex, and she sat on a seat and watched him at the controls.

"You saved everyone on that ship." He said, turning his head toward her.

"I did." She said with a nod.

"For the rest of their lives, they'll have you to thank. Oh, the songs they'll write!" He said, his eyes looking distant as though he was thinking of someone else. Maybe he was thinking of his lost wife. "Never mind them, though. Big day tomorrow." He said.

Amy's heart stopped. "Sorry, what?" She asked, gaping at him.

"It's always a big day tomorrow, we've got a time machine." He said, using that 'we' again, though she was now nearly positive he meant her and him.

Which made her chew her lip a moment. "You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning?" She asked, sitting forward and following him with her eyes as he came toward her. He leaned against the console, arms folded, waiting for her to continue. "Have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just … just because you could?" She asked, slowly getting up to stand beside him.

"A few times." He admitted.

"What happened?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Depends on what I was running from."

"Right," She looked to her feet. "Doctor, there's something I haven't told you," She started to say, but there was a ringing from somewhere behind them. She furrowed her brow. "Hang on, is that a phone ringing?"

"Well it is a phone box." He smiled, moving toward the phone and flicking a few switched before taking it off the hook. "Hello, and who is this?"

"Doctor!" An older man said, his voice echoing around the room. "Winston Churchill here," He said, and Amy had to keep her hands over her mouth to prevent her from saying anything embarrassing. "Tricky situation. Potentially very dangerous. I think I'm going to need you."

"Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister. On the way." He said, hanging up and moving about the ship, inputting stuff and pressing buttons. He looked to Amy. "Might not want to do this one in your nightie." He said with a sly grin, and Amy left the room in a hurry."

* * *

 

He set Rose's skirt back in place, tossed the cloth into the bowl, and flopped down into the seat beside her. He reached over and took her hand in his, running his thumb along her knuckles.

"Today … was hell." He admitted softly. "We'll never be rid of them, Sweetheart. No matter how long we live, how far away from the war I get, those damn, bloody Daleks will constantly show up in our lives. In a small way, I was glad you weren't there." He grinned. "Though given _when_ it was, you may have been. With ol' leather and big ears me. Got a big chin this time, case you don't remember. Better nose though, in my opinion. I think I'd have called myself a pretty boy. I was tempted to go see if I could find you, but I didn't. You would have had to meet Jack and all that, and I'm not sure I would have stopped myself from interfering. Then again, had my own problems to worry about. Had I known then that there was another Dalek so close to where we were." He leaned forward, resting one arm and his chin on the bed beside her head as if he was going to whisper secrets in her ear.

* * *

 

When the Pepper Pot came out, Amy was too scared to react. The Doctor becoming enraged and demanding didn't help matters much. When they'd entered the cabinet war rooms again, Winston Churchill handed the Doctor proof that the pepper pot was invented this go around, with blueprints, statistics, even photos, but the Doctor just looked at him as if her were thick.

"They're Daleks, they're called Daleks," He insisted.

"They are Bracewell's Iron Sides," Churchill countered, admittedly looking a bit more sure of the situation than the Doctor. "He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fella's a genius."

"A Scottish genius," Amy remarked, hoping to lighten the mood. Before she could form another word, the Doctor hushed her.

"He didn't invent them, they're alien."

"Alien?" Churchill asked.

A whirring noise grew louder in the hallway, and Amy watched the Doctor's shoulders tense. Her eyes flickered between him and the doorway while she watched the Pepper Pot go by, seeming to mind its own business. She shuddered, swallowing back the nervousness as it passed them.

"And totally hostile," The Doctor concluded after it passed.

"Precisely." Churchill decreed. "They will win me the war!" He waved them along, out the office and down a corridor. The Doctor followed instantly, and Amy took a second to scramble and catch up.

"Why won't you listen to me?" The Doctor asked the Prime Minister.

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit, I had my doubts. The ironsides seemed too good to be true. But imagine what I could do with a hundred, a thousand." Churchill replied with gusto, a Pepper Pot going by them at the same moment.

"I am imagining." The Doctor said through his teeth as Churchill ducked into another room.

"Doctor," Amy said in a low voice, glancing around as she stepped closer. "Are they really the same things that came 'round a few months ago?"

"Yes," The Doctor replied, equally quiet. "Without a doubt, they are Daleks. _Not_ some sort of miracle invention to win the war. How did I not know before?" He asked himself.

"Doctor?"

"Posters, Amy. 'To Victory'. This is London in the middle of the war, where there are air raids, and barrage balloons. Out there, right now, possibly earlier, maybe a little later, is me. Me and Rose, and we are facing … something. Not this. But if there are propaganda posters with Daleks on them, how did I not notice?"

Amy shrugged. "Posters not out yet? You too busy saving the world from another problem?"

"Dancing," A ghost of a smile came over the Doctor, and his eyes looked momentarily distant.

"Right, yeah, dancing. Fantastic."

"It was," he said, his grin becoming more boyish as he met Amy's eye, and she felt something clench in her stomach that she knew had to be pushed aside for the time being. Examine _that_ later.

"But they invaded the Earth in the future, which means they couldn't have succeeded now."

The Doctor shrugged a single shoulder, turning to the room Churchill disappeared into. "Time can be rewritten. Daleks invade and win in the 1940s, suddenly the world you were born in never existed. But it does, and we're going to keep it that way. But before we can stop them, we have to find out what they're up to. What are they after?" He asked as they entered the room.

"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" Amy said with a shrug before marching toward the Dalek with confidence despite the Doctor yelling her name. She knocked on the Dalek's head, and it's scope thing looped around and pointed at her.

"CAN I BE OF ASSISTANCE?" Even polite that thing was painfully loud.

"Yes, my friend over there reckons you're going to destroy the world. That true?"

"I AM YOUR SOLIDER." It replied.

"Yeah, got that bit. Love a squaddie, but are you really on our side?" She looked right into the scope thing, attempting to stare it down in someway.

"PLEASE EXCUSE ME, I HAVE DUTIES TO PERFORM."

* * *

 

The Doctor studied Rose's face in extreme detail with his new eyes. His memory of her from when they first met was both fuzzy and very clear. The surroundings he had a hard time remembering over a century later, but she was clear having hardly changed at all in all that time.

"It was the first time I've faced the Daleks without you since after the Time War. And you want to know something? I made everything go wrong. I was so angry that they had been there, acting passive and serving tea, that I lost it. And because I lost my cool there are now more Daleks out in the Universe. Sorry," he apologized to her, stretching a finger out and caressing her cheek. "Amy was brilliant though. Helped me out with Bracewell in the end, used love over pain to trigger his humanity. Love, darling, how could I forget that?" He diverted his eyes. "I forgot because I'm in pain. You're in this bed and not at my side, and it's making me forget for a moment that you're alive, and not dead, and I just have to remember you'll pull through." He sighed. "But I need to tell you the end of the story, don't I, Love? Because there's more to it. Once we left good ol' Winston, who I really should introduce you to sometime, Amy and I returned here."

* * *

 

"And here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff." Amy said as they headed up the ramp, and the Doctor started doing his little dance around the controls. "But no, it's dangerous."

"Yep. Very." He said, pausing and meeting her eye in utter seriousness. "Is that a problem?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" She asked, arching a brow and teasing. He grinned slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Is the danger what happened to Rose?"

He stiffened, what grin he had leaving his face entirely. "Yes." He said bluntly.

"And did you think it was your fault like you had today with the Daleks?" She asked, inching slowly toward him, watching him carefully.

"It was most definitely my fault." He said, flipping the switch.

She studied him as he watched the uppy-downy thing in the middle bob about. "Been thinking about her a lot today?" She asked, and the smile partially returned.

"I'm always thinking about her." He said softly, turning to Amy and leaning against the uppy-downy case. He was quite dashing, one would even say hot, and the glimmer in his eye didn't hurt. Amy attempted to tamp down the jealousy that stirred, because was it really her place to be jealous of his dead wife? Especially when she had a very live fiance back on Earth her time?

Yes, she'd been thinking about pulling a runner. She loved Rory, she did, but the idea of nothing more ever happening to her had scared her to death. Now the more was happening, her Raggedy Doctor came for her, and as a grown woman she could appreciate his charm and appeal in a way she never saw at seven. Part of her wanted to grab him by the bracers and haul him in for a good snog, cheer up the handsome widower. Part of her thought of sweet Rory, and it was that part that stopped her.

"You should get some sleep," The Doctor said quite suddenly, looking away. "The TARDIS will get you a room." He paused as if he were listening. "Second corridor, look for a door with a Pond on it."

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Sentient ship, she takes care of our guests." He smiled again, more warmly this time. "And tomorrow … how about a planet?"

Amy beamed, giddy stirring in her chest. "Planet sounds fantastic." She said, a skip in her step that turned into a swish of her hips as she headed up the stairs. "Goodnight, Doctor." She said as she turned leaned against the rail.

"No nights on the TARDIS, Pond." He said fondly, and she decided then and there that she liked that. Pond. Simple, her. She'd never change her name, now.

* * *

 

At some point he'd fallen asleep for eight hours. When the Doctor stirred, finding himself laying with his head beside Rose's, his back aching from still sitting in the chair, he'd realized he was telling the story from within his mind. And if he strained, if he really tried, he could feel that she had been listening.

He had put off his first post-regeneration sleep off for too long, so it didn't really surprise him that being brushed right up against his wife's mind, her scent surrounding him and her warm presence so close that this was when his body gave out.

Sitting up with a stretch, the Doctor noted the table was back in its original spot, and the bowl and basin absent from the room.

"Thank you, dear." He said to the ceiling, feeling the happy hum in compliance. "She's coming around slowly, isn't she?" He asked, and the TARDIS gave a hummed confirmation. "Do we have an ETA?" A negative reply. "No matter. She's coming back to us, and that's what counts in the end." He stood, kissed Rose's forehead, and left the room.

He somehow guessed Amy wasn't up yet, but would be soon, and he did promise her a planet.

The Doctor was considering the choices he had before him as he walked to the console room. He entered with a slight skip to his step that had him nearly falling down the stairs, did a little twirl before stopping in front of the controls. He looked at the coordinates, considering all the wonderfully tame places he could take his newest companion, when Rose's phone rang.

He stared at it as it moved a tiny bit with each ring from where it sat on the console, debating if he should answer it. Then he caught a glimpse of the name on the screen and snatched it immediately.

"Tim! I'm sorry, Rose is a little…."

"In a coma? I know." And the Doctor mouthed along with him as he said, "I see shit."

"What would you like, then?" He asked, admittedly not feeling all that great about this conversation if Tim already knew Rose wasn't going to be the one to answer.

He heard a rustle of papers on the other end of the line. "Delerium Archive, any time after eleven slash pine cone. Look for the home box."

"What?"

"It's a message that I was asked to pass on, slightly under duress." He said, more exasperated than anything.

"Who's making you do it?" The Doctor asked.

"Can't say." He said with a sigh. "And I have to get back to work, have a deadline to meet."

"One more thing," The Doctor said, and he imagine he just caught Tim before he hung up. "Why didn't you notice the difference in my voice?"

"Because I've already spoken to this version of you." Tim said. "And for the record: bow ties are not _that_ cool."

"They most certainly are!" He retorted like a petulant child, earning a chuckle from Tim.

"Later, Storm boy." And with that, the call ended.

Maybe he should have asked more questions, but seeing as how Tim didn't sound all that upset, the Doctor didn't worry too much about the supposed duress his friend was under. Instead, he put in the coordinates, and waited for Amy to wake up.


	4. Angels of Flesh and Stone pt 1

"So where we going?" Amy asked as he landed the TARDIS.

He put on his best smile, not sure he wanted to break to her that they were, in fact, not going to a planet. "Somewhere that holds interest." He said as the TARDIS landed.

She ran down the ramp, opened the doors, and stopped in the door step.

"Are we in a church?" She asked as he came up and stepped around her.

"No, museum." He said, moving briskly through the exhibits. "A museum on an asteroid. The Delerium Archive, final resting place of the headless monks, biggest museum ever." He tried to sell it, peeking into a few cases. "Wrong, wrong, bit right, mostly wrong." He turned mid stepped, nearly tripping over himself in the process but recovering before it looked too foolish. "I love museums," He said, turning back around a little more slowly.

"You've got a time machine, what do you need museums for?" She asked him as he noted a couple dioramas of events he helped with.

He left Amy's question unanswered as he found the very, very old looking home box in a glass display case. He marched right over to it, peering down at the Gallifreyan etched into the top. He stared at the words staring back at him, his hearts clenching while he was flopping between fury and deep pride.

"Oh great, an old box." Amy said as she leaned on the glass opposite of him.

"It's from one of the old starlines. A home box." He said, looking back down at the writing.

"What's a home box?" Amy asked, getting his attention again.

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home with all the flight data." He explained.

"So?" Amy asked, clearly bored.

"The writing," He said, tapping the top of the glass. "It's Gallifreyan, the language of the Time Lords. Words in this language could burn stars and raise empires. Time itself caters to it."

"So what does it say?" Amy asked, arching a brow.

"Hello, Dad." He said, and as he felt his the corner of his mouth twitch up, he conceded that pride had won out this round. "Now, just need to get this back to the TARDIS, find out what happened twelve thousand years ago."

* * *

 

They walked together in perfect sync, high heels clicking on the metal, evening gowns fluttering around their ankles. River Song withdrew the small hand gun, changed the setting, and waited as Jenny Tyler set a timer before going to the door and expertly picking the lock.

"Ten seconds, new record." River said to her with a sly grin.

"Round you, maybe." Jenny said as she backed up and took in her handy work. "You're doing the writing, then?" She asked River, glancing over her shoulder to see if she could spot anyone coming.

"I do have the steadier hand." River teased as she walked up to the home box, tilting it for a better angle.

"You've just had more practice with that particular method of destruction." Jenny scoffed, glancing back, thinking she heard voices. She opened her clutch, taking her gun out as she put her lock pick tools back in. "Best hurry, think we have company coming."

Jenny turned toward the hallway, shifting to stand beside River as she did her work.

After a couple moments, River reset the home box, closed the door, and turned to Jenny. "We're done."

"Party's over Doctor Song, Miss Tyler" Jenny tried to resist the urge to point her weapon at the rich bloke River was charming on the dance floor, distracting him while Jenny had gotten a proper look at the layout of the starship. And, of course, to verify what was downstairs in case the rumors they heard were so very wrong.

She really wished they were.

"Yet you're both still on board." The bloke added in a way that made Jenny want to sneer, especially when his two armed guards pointed their weapons at she and River.

"Sorry, Alistair." River said with a simple shrug. "We needed to see what was in your vault. Do you know what's down there? Any of you?"

Jenny snickered. "They do, they just don't think they have to worry about it."

"Didn't …?"

"Oh yes, they did."

"Who with?"

Jenny had to think about it. "Martha?"

"Oh, so before your boyfriend then?" River teased.

Jenny felt her cheeks flush. "Shut up, he's _not_ my boyfriend."

"When they actually get around to running, shoot them. Do it now, it'll look like an execution."

River looked at her watch. "Triple-seven, five slash three, four, nine by ten. Zero, twelve, slash, acorn."

"You sure?" Jenny asked.

"You're the one rubbish with directions, not me."

"Air corridor would be nice, just in case." Jenny added with a shrug.

"What are you two on about?" Alistair asked, his armed guards looking a bit shifty.

"Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang on to." River smirked, the airlock timer going off.

Jenny and River linked hands, and as the door opened behind them she gave the boys a little wave while River blew them a kiss. She heard the TARDIS behind them, and looked over her shoulder to see her Dad, the new faced one, reaching out to grab her, pulling her and River in.

He toppled backward, all of them landing in a huge heap that the girls quickly untangled themselves from. Once her dress was straightened she looked up to find her Mum but found Aunt Amy instead.

Except, she could tell, this woman didn't know she was Aunt Amy yet. She stared at the two of them with wide eyed surprise. Jenny chanced a glance at River, and saw the emotions playing on her face. She'd run into the Doctor and Rose a few times in her life, but Jenny knew by the way the light of the TARDIS danced in River's eyes this was the first time she'd run into her mother this young.

And it instantly made Jenny wonder if maybe they should have asked an older Tim to make the call.

"River, Jenny?" Her Dad said, his voice stern as if he was about to give a lecture.

"We need to follow that ship."

* * *

 

"Right, let's get to work, shall we, girls?" He said with a hand clap, running to take the lead controls while River and Jenny moved to specific spots on the controls like a habit. He caught Jenny looking to the place where her mother would normally be, glanced to Amy, but said nothing. He wasn't sure when this was for his daughter, but he gathered she either already knew where Rose was, or knew not to ask.

"They've gone into warp drive, we're losing them." River protested.

"TARDIS has only been recovered the last couple days, she's doing the best she can." He countered.

"Recovering from what?" Jenny asked, hands moving about the console with such expertise it made him proud.

"An issue." He said, glancing at River to see if she knew anything. If she did, she didn't let on.

"How do they know how to fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked as she came up beside him.

"Right, yes, introductions would be useful at this point, wouldn't they? Amelia Pond, River Song, a woman from my future whom is very dear to me, and Jenny Tyler, my daughter." He smiled at Amy but it fell with the way her eyes widened. "What?"

"When you said you had a daughter I expected, well," Amy gestured to about her waist.

He furrowed his brow, trying to understand, then it clicked. "I'm over a thousand years old. Is it so hard to believe I have a grown daughter?"

"I've done a fold-back on the temporal isometry," River said, pulling the Doctor's attention.

"And _I_ just did a scan of the home box and found the exact coordinates of where the ship crashed on Alfava Metraxis."

"Can you land us?" River asked, gesturing to the materialization switch.

"Absolutely," The Doctor said, flipping the switch. "So, tell me, which one of you left the message?"

Jenny pointed to River who smiled smugly.

"Good, now I know which one of you two will end up being the biggest trouble maker." He winked, and River chuckled while Jenny shook her head. After the ship shuddered to a stop, he crossed his arms and squared his shoulder. "In all seriousness, why are you two chasing after this ship? What's on it?"

He watched as the two women exchanged a nervous glance, like children being caught doing something they probably shouldn't be doing.

"According to the home box, the engines had a phase-shift when they reached warp." Jenny said.

"Which isn't surprising since they were sabotaged." River nodded. "But that was the least of their problems."

"And what was worse than sabotage?" The Doctor asked.

"There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die." River said, nearly mimicking his stance perfectly. "Something ancient and powerful. And, well …."

"You're investigating it." He nodded, then looked to Jenny. "But you were not into archaeology last we spoke."

"Maybe for you, Dad." She said with a cheekiness that reminded him of her mother.

"Right, and you're how old now?"

"Me?" Jenny asked, hand on her chest as she glanced at River before answering. "Forty-three I think."

"And last we spoke for me, you were only twenty-nine. So I'm going to guess, River, you're …."

"Spoilers." She said before he could guess, nearly snapping out the word before dropping her gaze to the floor and turning away, heading out the doors.

The Doctor looked to Jenny, but she just shook her head and followed River.

"Your daughter is forty-three?" Amy asked the second they were alone, gripping his arm tight to get his attention.

"Yes, apparently." The Doctor replied, trying not to let the curiosity as to why _this_ River was less open about her age. "You said you wanted a planet, outside those doors is a planet. But I warn you, there is likely danger there. Deadly danger, are you in?"

Amy smiled, eyes lidded, and the Doctor swallowed back the knot in his throat. "In." She said, then bolted out the door to where his daughter and the daughter-like lady had gone.

Straightening his bow tie, clearing his throat, he stepped out to join them. They were on a beach at the outskirts of a heavily forested area. River was on a communication device, Jenny was watching the crashed ship with distrust. Amy hadn't moved far from the TARDIS, choosing to watch instead of interact, and Doctor put a hand gently on her back to ease her a bit closer to the other two women.

"Should be here any minute." Jenny said to her Dad as he got closer.

"Who or what should be here?" He asked, crossing his arms and realizing he was coming across much more scolding Dad than he meant to.

Jenny smirked. "Back-up."

The Doctor was confused for a moment before four columns of wind and sand cropped up not far from River. Four soldiers appeared, and the Doctor looked over at Jenny sternly. "Jenny Jacqueline Tyler," He started saying, low and dangerous.

"Not what you think, Dad." She jumped in quickly, those wide eyes like she had when she was first created and wanting her father's approval.

"You promised me an army, Doctor Song." Said the oldest and largest looking soldier as he walked up to her with squared shoulders.

River hardly seemed bothered. "No, I promised the _equivalent_ of an army _._ Mind, it's only half of what I was expecting." She turned to Jenny, "Should have gotten an older version to call."

"Had the same thought." Jenny nodded.

The old Solider looked between the two of them with annoyance, like this sort of banter was far too common and not enjoyed at all. He then stepped up to the Doctor, offering him his hand which the Time Lord shook. "Father Octavian, sir. Bishop, second class." He introduced himself, trying to sound important. "Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song and Miss Tyler have been helping us with a covert investigation. Have they explained what we're dealing with?"

He shook his head, looking to Jenny first, then to River.

"What can you tell us about the Weeping Angels?" River asked, looking apologetic.

"That you shouldn't be anywhere near them." He replied sharply. "Why are the two of you even involved in this?"

"Research," River said at the same time Jenny said, "Religious interest."

He only believed one of them.

"We'll get to work once the clerics arrive. Song, Tyler, change. We should be set to go by sun down." Octavian said, chucking a set of fatigues at each of them.

"Sun down. Excellent idea." The Doctor said with an eye roll.

Jenny came up to him, flashing a smile at Amy before taking the Doctor gently by the arm and leading him back into the TARDIS. She looked out at Amy, making sure she wasn't listening, he'd guess, then whispered. "Can I see her?"

The Doctor's tension eased only to change. "Are you sure you want to see her like that?"

"I've heard the stories," Jenny said with a slight shrug. "I knew the second we came aboard and didn't see her when this was for you. And to see Amy so young."

"Oh, Amy sticks around, does she?" The Doctor smirked, watching Jenny blush. "It's okay, Love." He reassured. "Not much of a spoiler."

"Suppose not." She agreed.

He smiled, but it didn't stick. "The TARDIS will show you which room she's in. Don't stay long, Amy doesn't know she's there and I don't want her to find out just yet."

She left, heading up the stairs and to the correct corridor.

"May I as well?" River asked from behind him. He nodded once, and River ran up to join Jenny.

* * *

 

Jenny stood over her Mum, looking at the peaceful expression on Rose's face. Hesitantly, she reached out, touching her Mum's cheek and feeling the spark of their minds brushing together.

"Can you talk to her?" Melody asked as she walked into the room, changed into her fatigues as well, face scrubbed of make-up.

Jenny shook her head. "Just know she's waiting to wake up."

"Tim said it will be an interesting when she does." Melody said, stepping up and resting her hands over Rose's.

"He's there?" Jenny asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the prospect.

Melody shook her head. "He just saw it." She sighed. "Only an eleven hour day here, best be out. Sun will set soon, and Dad will want answers."

Jenny chuckled, feeling her Mum's mind spike in shock for a very short second. "Just don't call him that to his face." Jenny winked at Melody who smirked.

"Might just for kicks." She teased, and the two turned and headed out the room, both with one last glance at Rose.

* * *

 

"So, Father, what is happening that you are dragging my daughter and her friend into this mess with a Weeping Angel?" The Doctor asked, arms crossed and staring down the head solider as they stood around a make-shift base set up outside and around a trailer. Amy found it odd, perhaps a little sexy, how someone who looked no older than her had such a commanding presence.

"Well, Doctor Tyler…."

"Doctor." He cut off Octavian.

"Sorry?"

"Just the Doctor, or Doctor, but not Tyler. Tyler is not part of my name, Jenny got that from her mother."

"Oh," Octavian said, seeming a little confused before he took a breath. "Well then, Doctor, sir, the Angel is still trapped in the ship, as far as we know. Song and Tyler are part of a mission to get inside and neutralize it." He turned and gestured to the crashed ship. "We can't get through up top, we'd be too close to the drives. According to this, behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs." Octavian showed the Doctor something on a hand held device, and the Doctor tilted and twisted to get a good look at it. "Leads right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up." Octavian said, seeming proud of his foul proof plan.

"Catacombs," The Doctor grumbled. "Probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great." He said with such sarcasm, Amy had a hard time not smirking at it.

Octavian smirked as well. "Technically, I think it's called a maze of the dead."

"You can stop any time you like." The Doctor said firmly to Octavian. Before the soldier could say anything, one of his men caught his attention, and he excused himself to see what was happening.

The second Octavian was gone, the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and scanned some of the equipment on the table.

Amy crept over, hopping up on to an already cleared space next to the equipment, and leaned toward the Doctor. "You're letting people call you 'sir'. You don't seem to like when people do that, so whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced. There's one trapped inside that wreckage, and Jenny and River had volunteered to help neutralize it. Now, since I very well can _not_ let them do something so outrageously foolish, and because they already spoke so highly of my skills to Father Octavian, I'm likely going to have to climb in the wreckage with a screwdriver and torch. And assuming I don't die of radiation for a second time in a week, or the whole ship doesn't blow up in my face, I'm going to do something clever. Which I haven't thought of yet. Any questions?"

"A few," Amy admitted. "Die twice in a week?"

"Not the time to explain that one, pretend I didn't say anything." He waved it off with the hand holding his screwdriver.

So Amy went on to her next personal question. "Is River gonna be your wife? In the future, I mean? Do you marry her?"

The Doctor looked much more pale, and he glared at Amy like she just suggested the most unimaginable thing possible. "No!" He spat. "No, she's not going to be my _wife_. Never going to marry anyone else again, thank Rassilon. I've only called one woman my wife for the last century, and will only call one woman my wife for the rest of my existence."

"Then who is she?" Amy asked.

"My daughter's best mate, and someone who will be important in my life in somewhat the same capacity as Jenny. Now, do you have any questions about the situation we're in?" He asked, his voice getting more stern and commanding.

It kind of made Amy shiver; she liked a man who took charge.

"Why do they call Octavian 'Father'?" She asked as the woman she'd previously mention poked her head out of the trailer and called for him.

"He's their Bishop," The Doctor said as he replaced his screwdriver inside his tweed jacket. "They're his clerics. It's the 51st Century, the church has moved on." He said, gesturing with his head for her to follow him as he headed toward the trailer.

When they stepped inside, they found Octavian, River, and Jenny standing in a semi-circle in front of a black and white screen. The picture was of a stone angel, hands covering its eyes, and the only thing that made Amy understand that it was an ongoing video was the changing time on the bottom of the screen.

"What do you think?" River asked, raising a remote and adjusting the image. It hardly changed but for the time stamp.

"Ripped it from security while we were on board, but I didn't have a lot of time." Jenny said over her shoulder.

"It's only four seconds," River shrugged. "I've put it on a loop."

The Doctor stepped closer, his arm instinctively moving around Jenny's shoulders.

"Yeah, it's an Angel." He said bitterly. "Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian asked, a bit surprised and maybe a bit impressed.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago." The Doctor said, giving Jenny's shoulder a squeeze before putting his hands behind his back. "But those were scavengers, barely surviving, easy enough to handle in the end."

"It's just a statue." Amy said, really not understanding why there was so much fuss over this.

"It's a statue when you see it." River said gently, looking at Amy like … something. She didn't know, but she'd caught it the moment the two women were pulled into the TARDIS. It made Amy avert her eyes because as much as she sorta liked this woman's spunk, as natural as it seemed to be around her, it left her a bit unsettled.

"It was pulled from the ruins of Razbahan at the end of the 50th century." Jenny said to her Dad. "I'd been tracking its movements."

"Movements?" The Doctor said skeptically, and Jenny blushed.

She cleared her throat. "Moved around. Sold in auctions, always to private hands, never museums. Supposedly dormant, though."

"There's a difference between dormant and patient." The Doctor said slowly.

"Meaning?" Octavian asked, and the Doctor turned his head toward him.

"Meaning you can't trust that this will be simple." The Doctor said, looking as though he was about to add more.

But there was something going unaddressed that everyone else in the room seemed to know and Amy didn't. "Whattya mean 'it's a statue when you see it'?" She asked.

"The Weeping Angels can only move it they're unseen." River explained, though not really.

"It's a quantum lock," The Doctor added, not really clearing anything up. "In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The Ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being stone?" Amy snorted.

"Being stone until you turn your back." He said.

"Or worse," Jenny said, catching her attention. "You blink."

The Doctor moved instantly, starting to say something as he headed out the door, River and Octavian close behind, leaving Amy and Jenny alone with each other.

Amy shifted about, not sure why she felt like she was being scrutinized and picked apart under the Doctor's daughter's gaze.

"Where's Rory?" Jenny asked, and a cold bolt of guilt hit Amy before confusion came over.

"How do you know about Rory?" She asked, folding her arms and glaring down the blonde.

"Sorry," Jenny said in answer, moving to the door. "Didn't mean to, sorry." She stuttered, stepping out into the night and leaving Amy alone with just the screen.

She glanced at it, seeing it unchanged, wondering if maybe the whole lot of them were being a bit too paranoid.


	5. Angels of Flesh and Stone pt 2

"The hyperdrive would've split on impact," The Doctor explained to River and Octavian while gesturing to the crashed ship. "The whole ship will be flooded with radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to almost any living thing." He put his hands on his hips.

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked, sounding a bit too hopeful.

"Dinner to an Angel," The Doctor said with regret. "The longer we leave it, the stronger it will grow." He added, distracted for a moment as Jenny stepped out of the trailer and came toward them. He could sense she was upset before he could see her face clearly, and he made a mental note to ask about it later. "Who built the temple, are they still around?" He asked.

"The Aplans," River said with confidence. "They were the indigenous life-form, but they died out four hundred years ago."

"Planet's now populated by humans." Jenny said.

Octavian nodded. "It was terraformed 200 years later. There's about six billion colonists here now."

The Doctor groaned. "Why couldn't it have been a dead planet? We could have just packed up and left, not need to worry about anything. Send out a warning like I did the Library." He dragged his hands over his face, cursing in his language and seeking out Rose in hopes she was a bit more conscious and could help him through it. He couldn't feel much but the brush of her mind against his.

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the human population," Octavian started to say.

The Doctor gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh, there is. Bad as it gets." He said, withdrawing his screwdriver and playing with the settings. "Best lock and load." He murmured, not at all surprised when Octavian started shouting orders.

"Doctor Song, Tyler, two minutes, then you're with me." He said before taking off to help with whatever.

He didn't pay much attention, finding the setting he created the last time he'd encountered the angels and pointing the sonic at the TARDIS. He heard her hum of understanding in his mind, a confirmation of program changes.

"Dad?" Jenny asked.

"Emergency protocol 452." The Doctor said, replacing his sonic before looking at his daughter. "In the event that I have left the time and place where the TARDIS is, and Rose is unable to fly her, she will lock on to the sonic and transport herself to when and where ever I am. We are dealing with the Angels, after all, and I don't dare leave your mother alone when I have no idea when or …."

"She wakes up, Dad." Jenny said. "Remember? I heard the stories." She comforted him, reminded him that there wasn't an 'if' at all.

"Right, of course. But the point stands, I can't have her waking to find me gone. Now, did you need me for something?" He asked, and Jenny gestured to River. He turned to her, and she handed him a book. "What's this?" He asked.

"Found this in the library at school. Definitive work on the Angels, the only one as far as I know that isn't a touch fictitious. Written by a madman, it's barely readable, but I've marked a few pages."

The Doctor opened a book, reading quickly. "Not bad." He concurred. "Hang on, wait, this book is wrong." He said, opening it up again and looking through it a touch slower. "What's wrong with this book?" He asked.

"Nothing that we could tell." Jenny said with a shrug.

"No, there's something wrong. Something off." He opened the book up, reading through it again. "It _is_ definitive. Which _is_ the problem."

"Dad?" Jenny asked, and he glanced away to see Amy coming out of the trailer toward them, arms folded over her chest.

"How do you study something that you can literally never look away from?" He asked the women who flanked him, glancing first to Jenny, then to River.

He waited, and watched as the two women looked at each other in confusion.

"Well," River said. "I suppose, umm…."

"Well you would want to watch it, wouldn't you?" Jenny asked.

"Of course, but to save your own life. You blink, you look away for a split second, and the Angel attacks. Even a slow angel is fast when your gaze is away from it for long enough." He turned to Jenny. "Private auction? Who was the last buyer?"

Jenny shook her head. "Name was stripped from the record. 'Ms' was the only thing that remained."

"And it was pulled from where?" He asked her.

"The ruins of Razbahan," River replied, and he whipped around and looked at her. The name of the planet set off a warning in his mind, though he couldn't quite sort out why as of yet. River seemed to understand this. "There's a team who has been trying to prove the Time War was real," She said quietly. "Humans who'd heard the legends, among others, and want to know if there was truth behind it. Why they hadn't known about it before." She swallowed as the Doctor's brow furrowed. "Humans have been in contact with Daleks here and there since the 21st century. Again, considered legend. Even the battle of Canary Wharf, and the temporary displacement of Planet Earth, but when they got snippets of information here and there, mentions of what they overheard Daleks say."

"Investigating the Time War." He said, low and cold. "Why? What had they learned?"

"Dad," Jenny said soothingly, her voice small as if she wasn't sure she should be speaking. "It's considered a legend, all legends get picked to death. As of right now, in this century, it's still a story."

"I know, Uncle Jack had said as much once, but that's not why I'm worried. Razbahan was a casualty in the war. It's population was relocated, as was most of their tech, but the planet itself was a wreck."

"Yes, ruins." River said with a nod.

"Yes, ruins. Ruins mean destruction, River. As in nothing survives or stays intact."

"So how could you pull a statue from it?" Amy suddenly asked, all the understanding that the two women who were too deep into the investigation couldn't find.

"Precisely, Pond. How does one pull a statue, a complete, intact statue, from ruins? Sure there may be a piece or two that survive, but given the circumstances, how likely would it have been? Not likely at all, really. So someone planted it there _after_ Razbahan's destruction. Girls." He looked between Jenny and River. "One of you mentioned sabotage."

"Yes," River said. "When we first got on board to have a peek, when we heard what Alistair and his archeology team pulled from the ruins we went to see if it was possible. We teleported on board in the engine room."

"There was someone messing with the controls," Jenny said. "Been on ships enough to know what someone doing damage looks like."

"We checked, but noted that it was only likely to be a problem if they hit warp speed." River said.

"We left a note." Jenny added, sounding a little guilty.

"So someone sabotaged a ship with Weeping Angel on board to crash land. Likely knew that the result of said crash would be all the Angel would ever need to feed and regain strength." The Doctor said, eyes falling on the ship.

"You think this was all planned." Jenny said, not a question in the least.

"I think someone did this, yes. I think who ever owned the Angel last stripped herself from the records because she didn't want it tracked back to her. Left the Angel to be found and sent someone, a mercenary or a grunt, to sabotage the ship that would be carrying it back. But why plant it on Razbahan? And why allow the ship transporting it to crash on to a planet with a population of any variety at virtually any point in time?" He looked up as he heard the sound of heavy boots coming toward him. "Father Octavian, change of plans, if we could." He said, marching over to the military man who seemed startled by the Doctor somehow. "We need to evacuate the humans, all of them on this side of the planet. Call in as many favors as you can, contact all ships available to you, get them out of here."

"Why?" He asked the Doctor. "A moment ago you said lock and load."

"I did, and now I'm saying use that priestly side of you and get the population cleared out. I would wager you have one day, eleven hours maximum before that ship blows and we're going to let it." The Doctor said decisively, only partially doubting the plan that was coming to him as he went.

"What about the radiation?" River asked.

"Radiation. Yes. Deadly to any and all sentient beings except for the Angels, but do you know what the angels are, River? They're stone. Stone can not survive, can not withstand explosions."

"But they aren't stone if you aren't looking at them." Amy reminded him.

"No, Pond, you're absolutely right, they aren't. But you know what else can't survive explosions? Anything. Well, I say anything, but I know of two beings in the Universe that can survive one, but I don't like to think about that too much. And while, yes, the radiation can be bad, will be bad, disastrous really, that's where I can help post explosion. Because right now, right this second, there isn't anything I can do but destroy the ship and the angel inside it or allow it to wreak havoc on the entire planet once it's strong enough. And an explosion is the only way to stop it, I'm afraid."

Octavian looked at him, holding his eye for a long while. He then turned to River.

"Do you trust this man?" He asked her.

"I absolutely trust him."

"So he isn't some sort of madman?" Octavian asked, arching his brow.

River smirked. "I absolutely trust him."

"Oi!" The Doctor said indignantly, fixing his bow tie.

"Don't hear you denying it," She said.

Well … he couldn't really say anything to that, could he? Madman in a blue box. Rose had called him that a couple times over their century together, called himself that a few times.

"Fine," Octavian said. "I'll round up the troops, see what kind of support we can get. Evacuate the population from this point moving out. And then what?"

"Then I'll do my part." The Doctor said, sounding a bit more confident than he felt.

* * *

 

They were back on the TARDIS, the four of them, though Amy had no idea where the Doctor and his daughter went. Disappearing down a corridor, Amy had kept her eyes on his backside until he was out of sight, leaving her alone with River.

"So how do you know the Doctor?" She asked the curly haired woman watching the monitor. Amy didn't quite understand why, it was all swirls and weird things on the screen that reminded her of clockwork.

"He's a family friend." River said simply. "I've known him my whole life."

"And Jenny's your best mate, yeah?"

A smirk pulled at the corner of River's mouth. "You could say that."

"Lovers?" Amy asked, twitching her eyebrows.

River laughed, "While I'm quite flexible when it comes to who I spend my time with, no. Jenny is not my lover. She's …." She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. "She's like my sister." She said in the end.

"It's like me and my mate Mels," Amy said, noting River turning her head slightly like she was trying not to look so interested. "She and I were really close growing up. Haven't been since, though. She liked trouble a little too much."

River snorted. "Most Melody's do." She said really softly, almost so quiet that Amy nearly missed the comment. She furrowed her brow, curious if maybe River knew a Melody as well. Must, why else would have made such an odd comment?

The woman in question had a sharp intake of breath, her whole body tensing as she gripped the monitor with white knuckles.

"What is it?" Amy asked, and River turned and looked at her over her shoulder.

"Something not good."

* * *

 

"How did you know it was an Angel?" The Doctor asked Jenny as he cobbled together a device that would help absorb the radiation leak the explosion would cause.

"Learned from the best," Jenny grinned, pulling a small, almost screw driver looking device from the pocket of her fatigues. "Quantum-lock detector. I didn't even have to enter the vault fully and it started beeping." Jenny wiggled the thing between her fingers. "You and Mum told me stories of the Angels, and when we heard the rumors of what it was…."

He smiled at her fondly. "You clever, clever girl." The Doctor put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in and giving her a peck on the forehead. "So how old were you when you first met this me?" He asked her.

Jenny laughed. "Three months old." She replied. "You and Mum came to visit River and me." She met his eye fleetingly. "How long have you had that face?"

"About three or four days." He replied quietly. "I still haven't really looked at it. Don't dare to, not without your mother around."

"She loves you, Dad. You and Mum teach us what real love looks like. Always, no matter what face you wear."

"Doctor!" River yelled, and a moment later she was panting from the doorway of the workshop. "The radiation from the starliner," She paused, taking a breath, "It's not just revitalizing one angel, but hundreds. There are _hundreds_ of angels in the catacombs. And they'll be at hunting capacity within the hour."

He straightened. "An hour? You're sure?"

She nodded vigorously.

He sighed as he stepped away from the table. He wanted to break something. Oh, that was new-ish. Hadn't wanted to do that in his tenth life. Did in his Ninth, but that was so close to the Time War it never surprised him what kind of rage was within the coward's body. But this, this was like having all his scars from that time cut open again.

"There is no way we're going to have this half of the planet evacuated in time is there?" He asked through gritted teeth, looked to River from the corner of his eye, hands on his hips. She looked chastised somehow, shaking her head minutely. He nodded. "Someone's sent someone in to sabotage a ship, send it crashing to planet, and leave who ever cleans up after it to make a choice: let the humans on it die, either by the explosion or exposure to radiation over time, or allow the humans to suffer what was likely the same fate as the Aplans and get sent back in time by the angels. Eventually, though, this could lead to a paradox as there was only two hundred years between the two. The Angels usually work within a century time frame, don't normally displace anyone further back than that. But, they send the humans back to a time when they were supposed to be starving, suddenly they have a food source that keeps them going a little longer." He rubbed his brow, pinching his nose. "Which would lead to some nasty anomalies."

No one said anything, though he heard River's boot move into the room. "Dad," She said very, very softly, and the Doctor whipped his head around to look at her.

Back when they first met, he stared at her whenever possible, cataloging every detail of her appearance, checking it against any possible physical trait he'd ever had, as well as anyone in Rose's family. She never matched up, she still didn't match up as far as he knew, and it made him narrow his gaze on her.

River smiled, her eyes glistening a bit. "Sorry," She said barely above a whisper. "Just, this is the face I'm most familiar with, and it's a title I've used with you in jest, in … in comfort. Slipped out, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He said, holding her eye. "River, how old are you?"

"Ninety-six." She said, her voice cracking. "I remember the day you and Rose met me in the Library." She added, "And it was the only time I really _saw_ that face after I turned fifty, and since you're fresh from regeneration, I know this is really the only time you've _really_ seen me since."

He nodded, turned away, moved to a corner and turned abruptly. He folded his arms as he leaned back. "It's going to have to be the humans. I can't let the Angels create the kind of problems allowing them to send people back would create. Radiation can be handled, I think. I hope. Probably. Don't have a lot of time if there's only any hour. Exposure will start within two to anyone within a ten mile radius. Planet is not that big, which means…."

"Exposure." River said like a curse, and she turned to Jenny. "Did you give Amy the shot?" She asked, and Jenny shook her head. "Damn." She then looked to the Doctor who'd been watching her curiously. "Sorry. Shots that help metabolize the radiation. Amy's been near the ship enough, probably should have given her one sooner."

"Shot?" The Doctor repeated, and the word kicked his brain into gear. Even if the ship exploded, and they evacuated most of the people, _and_ he came up with a solution that would help eliminate as much of the exposure long term, there would be those who'd have gotten sick or worse. But shots, vaccines, wonderful little human invention that they were, could be used as a solution. An easy solution. And if _he_ didn't think of it sooner, what were the chances that whoever it was that set this up would think their way around such a simple solution themselves? He grabbed River by the back of the head and gave her a firm kiss on the forehead. "My girls, my clever, brilliant, fantastic girls!"

"Not really your daughter, you know." River reminded him as he dashed toward the door.

"No, but with a brain like yours, you may as well be," He said, feeling proud, knowing that whoever she was in the context of his future he _had_ to have shaped that aspect.

He stopped short part way to the console, stiffening in wonder.

Like a daughter. Big brain, fast thinker, aged slowly. Bit of ginger in those curls. Could she be ….?

He'd have to check on Donna, future Donna, Donna with children and make sure she didn't have any girls. Could be a circular paradox, her meeting River. Then again didn't … no, River had called her Aunt, didn't she? Still, he'd have to check, just to be sure. He was certain her part of the meta crisis couldn't be triggered or passed on again, but then again he didn't think his wife would drop into a coma because he regenerated.

But that could be set aside. Right now, he had a Father to call about some vaccines.

* * *

 

They hovered just above Alfava Metraxis' atmosphere, TARDIS doors open and facing the side of the planet that the ship had crash landed on. Amy was on edge, in a literal sense as well as metaphorically, as she sat on the doorstep of the ship with her legs hanging out. The Doctor was behind her, standing on his knees, chin resting on her head, arm around her waist. Probably to hold her in place, but she wasn't complaining. He was cool to the touch, something she'd noticed before but surrounded by him without feeling much body heat was, well, alien. And it left her mind wondering at what things would be like with that cooler skin a bit more … exposed.

But his daughter was sitting beside her, and River was just behind Jenny, so if there was a moment to try and figure out how to convince this fantastic looking widower the give her a very proper send-off if she was going to marry Rory it wasn't now. Besides, there would be an explosion big enough to see from space. Anything else could wait.

"Five, four, three, two," The Doctor paused in his countdown, and she could feel him smiling. "One."

Her mind filled in the sound that she couldn't hear as the bright, brilliant light flooded about a quarter of the planet.

"So what's going to happen to the people who live there?" Amy asked. "All that radiation?"

"The Church are administering vaccines that will help them metabolize it." He explained. "I've also cobbled together a few gizmos that will help clean up the radiation."

"And…?" Jenny asked coyly.

The Doctor's head lifted off hers. "And nothing, Jenny Tyler. I can make things that do not have multiple functions. To be honest, it felt weird to create anything with these hands, might not do it as often this time around."

"You did drop a lot of things." Jenny teased.

Amy chuckled, still mesmerized by the glow as it faded. "And the Angels? The 'kind killers?" She asked.

"Gone." The Doctor said. "And those that may survive will likely be too weak to cause any damage."

"What happens, exactly?" She asked turning and shifting to look up at the Doctor. "How does it kill you if it's not stone 'til you look at it?"

"It sends you back in time, feeds of the time you should have had left." He explained briefly.

Amy squinted in thought as she looked out over the planet. "But you have a time machine? Why would you be worried about them?"

" _I'm_ not." He replied. "Been touched by an Angel before, had my ship come and find me. But if someone was to see something definitive, read an obituary, glimpse a memorial, proof of a life passed on when they shouldn't be it becomes sorta fixed. You _could_ go back, and you _could_ risk the Universe falling apart, but most cases it's best you don't. Paradoxes. You try to fix an event by going back and changing it you can cause trouble."

"So it's not really _dying,_ just losing the life you know." Amy nodded. "Which, I suppose, could be like dying for some."

"Can be." The Doctor said absently, inhaling sharply and suddenly he was gone. She turned and saw he was already over at the console, flipping switches and turning knobs. "Ladies, do you mind coming inside and closing the doors?"

"Heading back down to the planet?" Jenny asked.

"No, not yet. There's somewhere I need to go. Nowhere special, really, just a quick errand before I drop you two off somewhere." He paused, looking up at the three of them. "Amy still hasn't had a proper tour of the TARDIS, so perhaps that's something you two can do for the few minutes I'm gone."

River reached down, helping Amy to her feet as Jenny got up on her own much quicker. They closed the doors, and the Doctor flipped a switch on the console that made the engines grind. It landed with a shudder, and he moved toward them but remained on the top of the ramp and off to the side. "Well, go on. Lots to explore. TARDIS knows which places to keep out of bounds and all." He said, waving them up.

As Amy made it to the top of the ramp, she stopped in front of him, straightening his bow tie. "See you in a bit." She said, adding just a touch of suggestion to her voice. He smiled and nodded, and they went their separate ways.

She watched as he disappeared through the door, having hardly opened it before he left.

"I'm not sure what you think's going to happen," Jenny said slowly, almost like a warning. "But my Dad …."

"Jenny," River said quietly, and she turned to her friend. River shook her head. "You don't need to worry." She reached out and clasped Jenny's hand tightly, and after a few seconds, she nodded once. River grinned. "Come on, we'll show you around."

Amy narrowed her eyes at Jenny when her back was turned, but there wasn't any real threat or fight to it. The Doctor was her Dad, and Amy knew that if it were just her mother who passed and she still had her tiny, little Dad she'd have been very protective of him as well. No one would ever be good enough, and Jenny had no idea that Amy wasn't exactly thinking long term.

She pushed her thoughts and plans and opinions aside. Maybe this was a good chance to get to know the mysterious Time Lord a little better through the one person he truly had left in the Universe.

* * *

 

He felt wrong, and he couldn't shake it. He didn't mean to hold Amy like that, not the way it ended up. But he missed Rose's presence so terribly that he didn't full think through his actions. He meant only to keep Amy from falling out should anything startle her, knowing full well that Jenny was very capable of keeping her balance by comparison. He rested his head on Amy's head because it was like muscle memory from a life gone. She didn't smell right, she didn't feel right, but his mind replaced her with the one woman he missed most in the universe. She may have been safe on the TARDIS, but Rose's mind seemed to have receded a bit, and it crushed his hearts.

So he did what he knew deep down he really, truly, shouldn't have done. It was bad, very bad, terrible really, but he needed her.

Yet as he stepped outside the TARDIS and looked around he realized that he'd gotten the year right, just not the location. It was damp, like it'd just rained, and he could see her waiting at the bus stop across the alley he was parked in. Her blonde hair was braided back, and she looked utterly exhausted. And nineteen. He wanted Canada, and September, and a human him being the only thing preventing him from taking his Rose in his arms and simply holding her, the Family be damned. But he knew instantly this was London, and he was in the wrong area. But how could he not just go to her anyway?

He glanced up and down the currently quiet street and crossed it, moving right for the bench she was sitting on in the bus shelter. She glanced up from her examination of her nails, giving him a slight smile that made him want to cry out with joy and pain as she gave no sign of recognition. He sat, giving her personal space but only just enough that he'd be considered polite for once.

"Terrible weather, isn't it?" He said after a few moments of silence, and she turned back to him. Her smile was a little warmer, and he felt a rush of smugness as he realized she'd just checked him out.

"'S March, 'course the weather's bad." She said with a bit of cheek.

"March," He said, his mind wandering as he glimpsed Hendricks just down the block. "March is good, brings change. Did you know the original new year was celebrated in March?" She bit her lip, shook her head, and he smiled just a bit wider. "It was. March signals spring, rejuvenation, I bet you'll find that you'll have change yourself." He said, and she arched her brow. "You don't believe me?"

She shook her head. "Want to. Be nice to, I dunno, have something different happen for once." She replied a bit wistfully.

"I bet it will." He said. "And very soon. May just meet someone who will change your life forever."

She hummed, maybe in amusement, maybe with hope. It had been over a century since he'd spoken to this Rose Tyler, and the nuances she exhibited at this point were different. "And would that be you?" She challenged.

He grinned. "Might just be."

"Sorry, mate. Already have a boyfriend." She replied.

"For now." He replied, and Rose looked as if his confidence and cockiness actually interested her. And oh how he wanted to spring a kiss on her, reach out and touch her cheek, take her hand, but he didn't dare to. This Rose, magnet for pretty boys (which was what he assumed he sorta was in this body), had been very attracted to the daft face with the big nose and ears it bore. He wasn't sure if he could affect the time lines by making contact with her in this body, and he wasn't going to risk that he wouldn't.

She suddenly looked alert, looking around him.

"That's me." She said absently, glancing at him with a grin. "See ya." She said, giving his tweed covered shoulder a brief squeeze as she got up and darted out for the double decker bus that pulled out.

He smiled, relishing the phantom sensation her brief squeeze left behind before he got up and made his way back to the TARDIS.

When he entered the console room, the girls where emerging from a corridor above, the three laughing about something.

"So where should I bring you two? I assume that 'school' will not be the proper answer." He asked, noting on a double take that Jenny and River were back in their evening wear. "Heading somewhere fancy?" He teased.

River shot him a good humored glare as she moved down and over to the coordinates. "We aren't telling you where." She said simply as she set the time and place they wanted to be.

"Alright then." He said, glancing over to Jenny who gave him a nod to say she was ready. River moved to a spot that seemed to naturally be hers, and he set them on their way.

The TARDIS landed with a shudder, and as soon as it settled Jenny moved toward him. She got on her tip toes, kissing his cheek. "See you soon." She said before giving him a hug.

"Course, Love." He said before she stepped away.

River came over, giving him a hug but not the kiss. "Thank you again for your help." She said as she stepped back.

"From what I remember you said I would always come for you." He replied, smirking a bit as she chuckled.

"That you do." She smirked back, moving away and giving Amy an exceptionally tight squeeze. His companion's eyes bulged, but she said nothing as River stepped away and sidled up to Jenny.

Arm in arm, the women moved down the ramp and out the door, the sounds of a party filling the console room before the doors shut behind them. He flipped the switch, and they dematerialized

"So! Pond! Where can I take you now? Anywhere and any when you'd like to go." He smiled to the ginger in the room, but it fell as he met her eye.

He's seen that look, was usually really fond of it as it typically meant he was about to have a very fun time with the woman he loved. Amy moved slowly toward him, another move he knew the meaning behind. Panic made him freeze.

"Amelia." He said her name, her full name, the one that he'd used when she was a child to try and sway her.

"You're so clever," She said, and he couldn't pin point the tone but knew it was bad. "Clever and brave."

"Lucky and a coward." He corrected, though he would say clever was an accurate description.

Amy was close, almost too close, and he took a couple steps back only to collide with the rail. Something unsettling tickled in his mind, one of his Time Lord senses picking up on a shift that shouldn't be. A shift that could very well be catastrophic.

She chuckled in her throat. "Lucky, yes. I'd say you probably are."


	6. Romans and Wolves

She was pretty sure that once the girls were gone, she was going home, and Amy wasn't about to let that happen. Not without getting in that last hurrah with her not-so-imaginary friend, all real and heroic, and perfectly fit. What Rory didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Aliens couldn't get humans pregnant, right? So it's not like there was a chance for an alien love child she'd have to explain to her husband in nine months or so.

He did that thing where he sent the ship into a drifting mode, and she adjusted her clothes.

"So! Pond! Where can I take you now? Anywhere and any when you'd like to go." He smiled as he turned toward her, but it fell pretty quickly. She thought maybe he caught him looking her over, and she gained just a little more confidence as she moved toward him. "Amelia," He said, deep but not husky. Maybe that was just a human thing, maybe that deep dark tone was what she was looking for. No other signals, really, though that wasn't a real deterrent.

"You're so clever," She stroked his ego. "Clever and brave."

He took a couple steps backward, gripping the rail behind him. "Lucky and a coward." He retorted rather firmly.

She liked that, the firmness. "Lucky yes," She said with a chuckle. "I'd say you probably are."

She lunged, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, pulling him toward her.

She'd barely got close to him before he pushed her away. "I'm married," He said, firmly.

Amy smirked. She could play this game a little longer. "That's sweet of you to stay so loyal, but she's not here, is she?" She moved in again, fully expecting he'd push her away again, and was already thinking of counters to the dozens of excuses she was sure he'd come up with before giving in. He was still a bloke, after all.

A dark look over came him as he pushed her back a little more firmly than he had the first time. It was likely meant to threaten, but had the opposite affect on her. He took her hand, tugging hard and dragging her up the stairs and down a different corridor than she was used to. Well that didn't take nearly as long as she was expecting. She thought he'd put up just a little more fight before taking her to what she assumed was his bedroom. His cool hand had a firm hold, and she was just starting to imagine what it would feel like other places when he stopped.

The door he led her to bore a picture of a wolf howling at a moon that looked more like rose. The Doctor turned the knob, pulling the door open roughly before stepping in a little more calmly.

Inside wasn't anything she was expecting. Not at all. A very small, simple room with yellow walls and floor. There were two chairs, one in the corner, one beside a bed.

A bed that had someone in it.

And she was gorgeous.

Gold, curled hair spread over the pillow her head rest on. Her eyes were shut, but Amy noticed the woman's make up was done impeccably. Her hands rested just below her breasts like a sleeping princess from a fairy tale. Even looked like one with the gold dress she was wearing.

"Amelia Pond," The Doctor said, a touch of the harsh tone he took with her earlier still there among the sadness. "My wife, Rose Tyler."

Amy circled Rose, looking her over. "Is she …?"

"In a coma," he replied, and she watched as he came up beside Rose, caressing her cheek with his knuckles in an affectionate gesture that made her swoon a bit. "Something happened, I'm not sure what, and she slipped into it. She'll wake up eventually, just not sure when. I hope it's soon."

"How long has she been like this?" Amy asked, seeing the tears well in Raggedy Man's eyes.

"For as long as I've known you," He replied, smiling weakly at her. "So a few days. I haven't gone this long without her in decades. I miss her terribly. So much that I went to see a younger version of her just before Jenny and River left." He admitted, dropping into the chair beside the bed.

"Decades?" Amy said, moving to stand next to the Doctor, resting her hand on the back of his chair behind his shoulder. "But she looks my age."

"She's about a hundred thirty, give or take a few years." He said, reaching out and resting his hand on Rose's elbow.

"And you've been married for how long?" She asked, her stomach starting to knot.

"A century." He replied without a beat. "Not that time matters. We're forever." He looked up at her, eyes smiling when his lips remained a bit down turned. "She and I, we're linked. We'll take our last breaths at the same time." He turned back to Rose. "My precious girl made it so I'd never be alone, that I'd never have to know life without her. But I don't think either of us really considered this a possibility."

Amy swallowed the lump in her throat. "Pretty literal in the vows, wasn't she?"

"She did it before we were married." He said with reverence, staring off as if he was seeing something else entirely. "She tied us together before I even knew she could love me. Rose was always the kindest, most considerate soul I'd ever known, and she was the best thing that could have happened to me." He suddenly looked up at Amy, guilt coming off him in palatable waves. "I'm sorry if I had done or said something to mislead you. It's not the first time I'd done that. Usually gets me in trouble."

Amy nodded, smiling weakly, finding it suddenly hard to hold eye contact.

"Doctor, there's something I didn't tell you when I, umm, when I left with you." She took a deep breath. "I was getting married."

"Was?" He said with confusion.

"Suppose, technically still am. Maybe. I dunno. I was … running, when I left with you. Running because I didn't know if I wanted to do that. Marriage."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Blimey."

"Yeah." She said, laughing a bit this time. She glanced over, seeing him eye her left hand.

"You aren't wearing a ring, though. Humans, you lot give rings for that kind of a promise. Where's yours?" He asked, arching his brow.

"I ran away with a strange man the night before my wedding, where do you think it is? I heard the TARDIS land, I took off my ring and went outside."

"You took off your ring before you came outside?" He asked, sounding more confused.

"You really are an alien, aren't you?" She laughed to ease some nerves. "I had every intention of going with you. You knew it, I knew it, but I wasn't about to let the ring hold me back. I didn't want the reminder that I had to go back to that life."

He stood, looking right into her eyes, and she felt for a moment as if he was peering directly into her soul. "You wanted adventure. Boring town, simple life, the little girl whose guardian wanted her to give up her imaginary friend. Who were you marrying?"

"Rory." She replied without thinking.

"Rory, Rory, Rory the Roman."

"The Roman?"

"Yes, his nose, very Roman. I should know, had one like that before, long time ago, Rose loved me in spite of it. You love Rory, but you're afraid that he doesn't understand you. He's a nurse, safe, practical. You're a person who has their picture taken to make money, less stable from my understanding, and you ran away without a second thought, knowing it was dangerous. You know what I think needs to happen?" He asked, and she shook her head, her throat growing tight as she worried what he was going to say. "We need to pick up Rory." He grinned. "Where will I find him?"

* * *

 

He hoped this was the right cake. He really, really hoped. Because from what he saw the last two times he'd managed to come out of the wrong cake he became increasingly grateful he didn't allow Jack to throw him one of these ridiculous send off parties all those years ago. He was also infinitely glad he ran off without making much eye contact when said Captain turned out to be attending one of the raunchier of the two previous parties. The Doctor wasn't sure if he was recognized, new body and no TARDIS to give him away, but he also had a feeling that one of his longest living friends could easily know it was him just by the eyes. Rose had said that was how she could often pick out a future regeneration, his eyes. And while Jack, thankfully, didn't know his quite as intimately as his pink and yellow woman, he was sure there was likely a chance he'd see the ancientness behind them.

He heard the shouts of "out" from beyond the cardboard walls of the fake structure, and a moment later it stopped moving. Hoping this was the last time he'd have to do this, he popped up to the dismayed sounds of the men in attendance of the stag. He looked around, spotting the horrid red shirts emblazoned with a picture of Amy and Rory together, feeling sorta relieved he'd at least made it to the right stag.

The Doctor then spotted the gob-smacked, would-be groom staring at him like he wasn't sure he was real.

"Rory!" He cried out in greeting. "Rory the Roman, been looking for you everywhere. I thought I'd burst out of the wrong cake … again. Which reminds me, there's a girl outside in a bikini, could someone let her in? Give her a jumper?" He looked around the room, seeing one of Rory's mates pulling off his jumper and heading to the back door. "Now then," he said, turning back to Rory. "We need to talk about your fiancee. She tried to kiss me," He said, causing the room to gasp. "Funny how you say something in your head and it sounds fine. Suppose this is when Rose would call me rude. Rude, and not ginger. Rose, by the way, is my wife. Which, in all fairness, Amy did not know about when she tried to kiss me. Mostly because she's in a coma. Rose, not Amy, let's be clear on that."

"Wait, hold on." Rory said, hands out as if he were going to still the unmoving Doctor. Though, he supposed, his hands were moving a lot on their own accord. "How is it possible that Amy tried to kiss you? She was home tonight. She was gonna stay in and … oh my god, did she plan this?"

"What? No?" The Doctor furrowed his brow. "Missed the part where I told you I was married, I suppose? I would not go into a twenty-one year old girl's room in the middle of the night in hopes for a good snog ... again." He amended, brief memories of early kisses with Rose crossing his mind. "No, I got the time streams wrong again, came back and offered Amy a trip to say thank you for helping me. To apologize for leaving her alone in her garden as a little girl." The Doctor paused as he heard someone cough uncomfortably. He noted half the room looked ready to pummel him in Rory's name, while the other just looked to the groom-to-be with pity. "You know what? Why don't you come with me, see for yourself exactly what's been going on."

He hopped out of the cake, or at least tried. His foot got caught on the edge, and the Doctor found himself flying forward. The cake, mercifully, broke a bit more and released his foot before he face planted and allowed him a less humiliating but not at all graceful roll. He stood up, straightening his clothes, adjusted his bow tie, then gestured with his head toward the door as he held eye contact with Rory.

Rory shrugged, hands flopping against his sides as he took a step and made to follow the Doctor outside.

It wasn't all that long of a walk back to where he'd parked the TARDIS, having made sure it was a good distance from all the Leadworth pubs, as well as Amy's home so she could pick up the ring she shucked before taking off.

With a snap of his fingers, the doors opened, and he was greeted with not only the strong hum of the TARDIS, but a stronger mental signature from his wife. It made him beam as he stepped inside, almost to the point that he didn't notice Amy nervously chewing her thumb while leaning against the console at the top of the ramp.

He looked over his shoulder at Rory who was now staring down his future wife as the TARDIS quietly closed her doors behind him. The Doctor returned his gaze to Amy. There were time lines surrounding the two of them, all of which should converge, needed to converge, and many that were now splitting off. They had been since Amy made the decision she had wanted to kiss him, or worse, and they hadn't quite settled back the way they should have since.

Never good.

"You know how I met my wife?" The Doctor said, bolting up the ramp to the console. "Saved her life. Took her hand, told her to run, never stopped. Didn't take us long to fall in love, but it did take us awhile to say it, which isn't the point. The point is, of course, that it was the adventure, the danger, that brought us together. The life out there, it dazzles. And for one person to see all that, to taste the glory and go back, it will tear you apart. We've seen it happen to friends of ours, and I won't let it happen to you. So, I'm sending you somewhere together."

At that, Amy suddenly stood straight, turning around and gaping at him with nervous fear. "Whoa, what, like a date?" She asked.

The Doctor nodded with a grin. "Anywhere you want, any time you want. One condition: it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890, the first Olympic games. Think of it as a wedding present." He then turned to Rory, about to continue his uncontrollable rant when he noticed the man with the roman nose looking up at the vast space above him. "Tiny box, huge room inside."

Rory shrugged. "It's another dimension."

The Doctor's grin fell at the nonchalance his new guest was displaying. "What?"

Rory moved up the ramp, looking around. "After prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes."

"Don't go getting any ideas there, travel between them is impossible. Probably for the best, as that's where my mother-in-law is. And for the record, you were supposed to remark how my glorious ship is 'bigger on the inside'." He pouted at first, then stiffened at the feel of Rose's mind just that tiny bit stronger against his, a spike of humor and joy before it faded. He smiled in spite of himself, noting the confused looks exchanged by his companion and her fiance.

"So this date," Amy said carefully, bringing his attention back to her. "Where were we going, exactly? Kinda done running down corridors, and all."

"How about somewhere … romantic?" He suggested with a twitch of his eyebrow. Hoping beyond all hopes, he called out to the room, "What do you think, Sweetheart? Somewhere romantic?" His hearts constricted when the image of Italian gondolas flashed in his mind for only a second. His grin stretched wide. "Hold that thought," he said to the couple before him. "I will be right back."

He ran for the stairs, his haste not hindering him as it should have while he rushed to the room where Rose rested.

Inside, he was disappointed to find her exactly the way she'd been.

"Not waking up yet, are we?" He asked. He felt a flash of pain, like a burn, across his right arm, and he clutched at in surprise. He then felt his head ache like he often imagined Donna's did before the Meta Crisis saved her. Both feelings lasted only a moment, and then he felt Rose slip back and away from his mind along with the pain. "Oh, Rose," he said softly, crossing the room and brushing her cheek, his knuckles caressing her hair. "What other prices are you going to pay to stay with me?" The TARDIS hummed sadly, nearly apologetic, and then reminded him with flashes of images the amount of pain he'd been in before regenerating. "So it wouldn't have mattered, my sealing her off from the pain. She still experiences it. The longer I held off, the longer she ends up staying under." The TARDIS hummed in agreement. "Thank you, dear, for helping me understand."

"Is this her?" He heard Rory say behind him, and he turned to see the skinny man in the doorway, looking at Rose. "I expected machines." He admitted as he stepped inside without permission.

The Doctor watched as Rory picked up Rose's wrist and held her pulse point like a habit. "Different than your average coma." He replied, appreciating in some small way the automatic care this virtual stranger showed his mate.

"Is she human?" Rory asked, brow furrowing.

"Mostly. Why?" The Doctor asked.

"Her heart rate is just a touch faster than I would expect." Rory replied, letting Rose's wrist go.

The Doctor bowed his head. "She's in pain at the moment, healing from an unexpected trauma."

"How long's she been …?"

"Four or five days, roughly."

"Not terrible then. Not, like, years or something."

He looked at Rory, half reaching for his time lines as he studied the man beside him. He was important, as was Amy, but most importantly they were more so together. He could never see Rose's time line because it had been destined to become one with his own for eternity. But looking at how Rory's and Amy's should go, he'd imagine theirs would look about the same. Strong, bright, needed, and dangerous to the Universe should it have never converged.

"No, not years." The Doctor said, placing a kiss on Rose's forehead before turning back to Rory. "But that's enough of my wife, let's get back to yours. Or at least your almost wife, your bride to be. What do you say to Venice?"

* * *

 

She wasn't sure how long she remained in the searing pain with so few breaks. Hours, days, years, she didn't really know. But from the moment the Doctor had finished his regeneration, Rose felt the second consequence her alterations created washing over her. A woman could stop herself from aging beyond that of thirty, but she would have to sacrifice the possibility of baring children with the man she wanted to spend forever with. And she could tie her life to his, die in time with him, but when he changed she would suffer pain as a reminder that she was not meant to last that long. But one thing she didn't see as Bad Wolf was how long he'd have held off his regeneration.

The burn he endured was echoing in her mind, and with every second he held it back she endured the same pain for ten times longer. Her mind did catch brief snippets of relief, and she got to feel the mind of this new Doctor against hers. She heard him tell her about his day, feel the care he took in bathing her and ensuring her comfort. She could send him brief reassurances, and as time went on, the pain in Rose's head receded for longer periods where she could connect with her husband again. But her body needed to heal from the burn his exploding energy caused, from the way her mind felt as though the vortex was in it again while the huons shifted and resettled. Rose knew she'd get back to him, sooner than they'd both realize, losing hardly any time at all when they could live for thousands of years.

So Rose drifted back to the burning pain, knowing it would be over soon, that she wouldn't really remember it. Like child birth, or at least the stories she was told since she'd never experienced it herself. She'd forget the pain so she wouldn't fear the following, inevitable regenerations as there would simply be a new man on the other side ready for her to love and whom already loved her unconditionally.


	7. The Vampires of Venice

"Venice!" The Doctor exclaimed, stepping out of the TARDIS with his arms spread wide. "Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city, preposterous city! Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the march, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding … constantly … beautiful."

The Doctor finally seemed to exhale, a feat nearly as amazing as the view around them as they traveled around the market they landed in. Amy couldn't help but drink it all in, even if she was admittedly less-than-thrilled that Rory was with her, tip-toeing around in utter nervousness. And maybe a bit guilty that she had jumped to so many conclusions about the the Doctor's wife who was currently in the TARDIS they'd ventured away from. And she was most certainly selfish in wanting this whole experience just for herself without anyone lingering over it, even if it meant still being very firmly shut out by the Time Lord driver. She could have played it off as him being asexual. Or gay.

"Oh you gotta love Venice." The Doctor continued. "And so many people did: Byron, Napolean, Casanova. Oooh, that reminds me." He checked his watch, shoulders relaxing. "1580, good. Very good. Casanova doesn't get born for a 145 years. Don't want to run into him, I owe him a chicken."

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory asked incredulously as Amy giggled.

"Came here on my honeymoon with Rose. Met the man, bet him a chicken that he could not, in fact, turn the head of any woman in the room. Had Rose conversing with him the rest of the night. We did look a bit alike, though." He explained, hands flying in mad gestures all around. He was about to add more the story, Amy was certain, when some sort of official looking man in black came storming up to them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Papers, if you please." The official man asked, hand outstretched to the Doctor. "Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection." He tilted his chin in a sorta pompous way, and Amy moved up beside the Doctor to see what was going on. She watched the Doctor reach into his jacket, pull out a billfold, and show it the official.

"There you go," he said, bouncing on his heals a bit as the official took it. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."

The official's eyes went wide, and he bowed deeply. "I am so sorry, your Holiness. I didn't realize." He said as he handed back the billfold.

The Doctor took the billfold back, then clapped the official on the shoulder. "No worries, you were just doing your job." He paused. "Sorry, what exactly _is_ your job?"

"Checking for aliens," He replied, and Amy's heart leapt into her throat. "Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."

"Oh, that's nice. See where you bring me?" She whacked him on the arm, wincing as she realized all that muscle was likely tensed and the reason the slap stung. "Plague?"

"Don't worry, Viscountess." The official man bowed to her, and while Amy crossed her arms, she couldn't help but smirk at the royal treatment. "We are under quarantine here, no one comes in, no one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri." He tapped the front of the old fashioned looking clip-board kind of thing he'd had tucked under his arm, pointing the the crest on it.

"How interesting." The Doctor mused. "I heard the plague died out years ago."

"Not out there," The official gestured to the waterfront. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets piled high with bodies, she said." The official nodded with confidence, but before anything else could be discusses his beady eyes widened. The man hurried off as Rory plucked the billfold from the Doctor's hand while the Time Lord pondered after the little old man in black.

"According to this, I'm your younger brother." He said, reading the paper in the billfold.

"Yes, thought we looked enough alike we could get away with it. Don't know for sure, though. Still haven't really looked at myself yet. Did have a nose like yours once, though, so it's a family trait." The Doctor said as he started moving forward. Rory patted at his nose a moment before falling in step, and Amy moved with them.

"At least it says Amy's my wife." He said, handing back the billfold to the Doctor. "Isn't it weird for you to be traveling with your younger brother and his wife?"

"Rose and I had a companion who frequently passed himself off as her brother. Actually, we've had two companions like that. Our daughter has had to pretend she's Rose's sister for how little age gap there looks to be between them. Point is, of course, no one really pays attention to that sort of thing. Official-type-person had a look, I gave him a believable story, all is done. No one is going to question it again, at least so long as you don't bring it up."

To that, Rory nodded, following them without another word.

As they came up to another canal, pausing at the rail to allow watch the gondolas, Amy noted the crowd around them slowed and stopped. Their attention turned to something on the other side of the water, something that caught even the Doctor's eye. It was group of girls, from a local school if the whispers were any indication, with their faces covered in veils as they made a procession. It was lovely in a weird way, and she didn't really understand what was so intriguing about it that everyone gave pause.

Everyone, it seemed, but one man.

She couldn't quite hear what he was saying aside from the shout of a name, Isabella. There was a struggle after he seemed to find the girl he was looking for, and some man stopped to somewhat kick the poor guy while he was down. As the girls passed, two guards picked up the man and half dragged him away.

"What was that about?" Amy asked, hoping the Doctor would give some sort of insight. When she turned, he was gone. Huffing, she turned to Rory. "I hate it when he does that," She grumbled.

He scoffed, rolled his eyes, leaned a bit more heavily on the rail as he shook his head.

She didn't understand. Rory seemed fine a moment ago when the Doctor was with them, was nice enough to the man who brought them here.

A sinking feeling hit in the pit of her stomach. How much did the Doctor tell Rory of what happened? Of what she was planning? And worse yet, how much did even knowing she left for a short time without him damage their relationship?

* * *

 

He wanted to hate her. He wanted to hate her with every fiber of his being for running off with another man the night before their wedding. It didn't matter that the man was an alien with a wife he was devoted to, or that the running off likely would never have been known about if they hadn't stopped to get him. The point was, Rory was positive Amy had gotten over her Raggedy Doctor when he didn't come and find her during the Pepper Pot invasion. The second one, not the first that also had the robots and his Mom died.

But no, no of course she'd take off with her literal dream man first chance she got. And what did he have? Nothing that could compete with an alien, apparently.

Yet no matter how angry or bitter he was, he couldn't hate the Doctor. Couldn't even blame him in the slightest for what happened. Because he'd witnessed first hand the love he had for the woman in the coma, saw a lot of what he felt for Amy reflected in the alien's green eyes as he gazed down on his partial human bride. He would not have, in fact, tried to lure Amy away for anything other than a trip. Amy, the flirt and tease that she was, the untamable ginger whom he'd been enamored with since childhood, had likely seen more to it than what there was. Like she had with Jeff, with Carlos that she modeled with a few times. Always someone bigger, stronger, more dangerous.

Yet he followed her, because as much as he wanted to, Rory couldn't hate her. He still adored the way she nervously looked at her feet as they slowly strolled down the Italian walk ways. The way her hands were balled into fists to keep him from holding her hand because he knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. And the way her big, brown eyes kept glancing over at him and over poured with guilt because no matter what she thought of doing she still loved him.

"So," he thought he'd clear the air first. "What have you been doing?"

She stopped, and so did he. She fleetingly met his eye, but couldn't hold it or her smile for more than a few seconds at a time. "Well, running. And fighting. I've been scared. More scare than I thought I was …."

Her eyes were wide, but he just nodded. He knew what she was scared of.

"Did you miss me?" He asked. Sure, it hadn't been long for him, but he had a sense that the Doctor and Amy had actually been together for a while. If he'd gone back for her as soon as the Doctor believed he had, mere minutes after the whole prisoner zero thing for him, and his wife had been out for days, Rory could do the math at how long Amy had really been gone.

"I … I knew I'd be coming back." She said, giving him a playful punch to the arm while keeping her distance.

"Did you?" He challenged. "Or was I just going to wake up tomorrow and find out my bride was no where to be found?"

"I was gonna come back, really!" Amy protested. "Ask him. First thing I wanted to know was if he could get me back for our wedding."

"And did you tell him it was our wedding you wanted to go back for?" He asked her, and Amy blushed.

And she was beautiful when she blushed, really she was. But as much as he loved it, he hated what that meant for her answer.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, pulling at his hair in frustration.

"Rory, please, it's our date." She whined, taking his arm and pulling herself over to him. "I know, okay? I know I screwed up. Didn't mean to, honest." She gave him the look. The pouty look with her big doe eyes and her lip jutting out just a bit. The one he knew she knew he could never really say no to. He huffed, looked up at the architecture around him, and smiled.

"We're in Venice, and it's 1580." He said out loud, allowing the thought to really hit him. "1580. Venice."

"I know!" Amy giggled. "Come on, let's look around." She tugged his arm, her giddy excitement returned.

He couldn't stay angry. Not completely. They'd discuss this later, but for now he could enjoy when and where they were.

* * *

 

The Doctor had successfully snuck into the school, pleased as punch that it had been so easy with his new friend Guido helping in him. He liked that name, Guido. Maybe he could convince Rose to get a dog, or a cat of some variety when she woke up, name it that. No, not a cat. A hundred years and he still hadn't confessed that he only said he wasn't a cat person because she'd called that one ginger kitty gorgeous all those years ago. She may have caught the truth in there somewhere over time, but she'd never mentioned it. Seemed like something she would say.

But he was losing focus.

He made his way down the natural course of the stone stairs into a chamber. Nothing too odd or off about it, considering the time and place they were in. He was about to move along when he caught his reflection in a mirror.

"Hello, handsome." He greeted his image, straightening his bow tie. He felt a pleased hum in his mind and smiled. "See that too, do you Sweetheart? Bond opened wide, can see me admiring myself. What do you think, better teeth this time? I can say … fantastic." He waited, and a beat later he felt the happiness of his wife wash over him. "Are you awake?" He asked on a whisper, only to feel that flash of pain he'd experienced earlier hit him for a second before he felt the tickle of Rose's mind receding.

"Who are you?" A course of young, female voices asked behind him, and he turned to see five girls in their nighties looking at him.

His hands flailed a bit as he looked between them and the mirror, jaw dropping before the corner of his mouth turned up in a grin.

"How are you doing that?" He asked with complete and utter astonishment. "I am loving it! You're like Houdini, only five scary girls. And he was shorter. Will be shorter. I'm rambling." He said, realizing he was getting away from himself and not paying enough attention to the scary girls with no reflections.

"I'll ask you again, signor. Who are you?"

 _I_ and not _we_. Hive mind. Interesting.

"No one, really, just a passerby. Admirer of your lovely, well, I suppose, school. Or something. Basically just a man who thought he'd check things out." He started backing up as the girls moved toward him. Their teeth were odd, vampire in nature but not really what he would expect from a real one. "Pale creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen in mirrors." He thought out loud, checking the reflection in the glass again. He only saw the walls. "Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking?" He mused. Because if he was thinking what he was thinking then this was a treat. Sorta, maybe. "But the city, why shut down the city? Unless…." Water. Yes, they liked water, didn't they? Needed it to live, if they were what he thought they were, and was fairly certain they were.

"Leave now, signor, or I shall call for the steward … if you are lucky."

He grinned as he dashed into the doorway. They bared a bit more of their teeth as they hissed at him, and he was so very nearly certain he knew what was going on, but really couldn't be sure. Not fully.

"Listen," he said. "I would love to stay here, chat more. This whole thing, really, I'm thrilled. It's Christmas, really!" They lunged and he shut the door, holding his back against it as he soniced the door locked. He heard them growl and hiss behind it. "Vampire fish. Or just Vampires. Oh, Rose, you are so going to wish you hadn't missed this one." He beamed as he dashed up the stairs and followed the way he entered to escape the school.

As he stepped out into the night, he heard Amy and Rory across the canal, the latter calling out to the former. The Doctor dashed, eager to tell his companions what he discovered. He tripped a couple times, but was learning how to recover on the quick, and despite the stumble up the stairs he caught up with Amy just as she came up to the spot he'd left them earlier.

"Doctor!" She cried out, and just as he told her he'd met vampires, she cried out. "We just saw a vampire!"

"They were very creepy girls not even my friend Jack would touch," He said as Amy grabbed his biceps in an iron grip. On reflex, he held her elbows but made sure to keep his distance.

"Vampires! Blood sucking, fanged vampires! No sparkles!" She said over him before jumping up and down and giggling gleefully.

"We think we just saw a vampire." Rory said calmly as he came up to them, throwing a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction they'd come from.

"Yes, I have heard. Good show, fantastic. And you, calm as ever, love it." The Doctor said as he let go of Amy and pointed to Rory, then waved his hand toward the school. "Found some myself in there, gonna have to go back in."

"Sorry, what?" Rory asked, shaking his head and leaning in as if he hadn't heard the Doctor clearly.

"Oh my god, seriously?" Amy asked, taking one of the Doctor's arms in both her hands and squeezed. "How do we do that?"

The Doctor went to answer but then stopped as a tickle in his mind caught his breath. Concern and caution paired with encouragement and a bit of excitement trickled through and made his heart stop. And what's more, it didn't fade.

The Doctor laughed, short and deep in his chest, his smile stretching ear to ear. Oh he wanted to run back to the TARDIS, wanted to see if Rose was awake, but the memory of the vampire though possible fish girls were nudged to the front of his mind. More pressing things were going on, and his wonderful Rose was reminding him.

He looked to Rory and Amy, the former confused, the latter much more eager to know what was about to happen.

"Come along, Pond, Rory. Let's go meet my new friend." He said, leading the way through the city to Guido's home.

The walk was short, and he was thankful there was light in the window as he knocked on the door. He could hear Guido moving about inside before the large wooden door creaked open, and he peeked out. Guido's eyes widened as he took in the Doctor's smiling face.

"You have found her?" He asked.

"No," The Doctor said. "Well, yes, I suppose, I did get in. But I didn't find Isabella specifically. Though you're right, they do do something to the girls. But I need another way in, and you, Guido, you are going to help me." When Guido only looked at him in confusion, the Doctor asked, "Do you have a map of the city?"

Guido nodded. "Come in."

"Thank you," The Doctor said as Guido waved he, Amy, and Rory into his small but cozy home. He led them upstairs where the living quarters were. Barrels were lined against the wall opposite the hearth, two small beds were against the wall closest to it. In the middle of the room was a small table with two chairs, a couple more barrels near it, possibly for additional seating.

The Doctor moved to the table, sitting on one of the chairs as Amy hopped up on to a barrel next to him. Rory crept off to the side, sitting on one of the barrels by the wall. The roman-nosed man looked at his surroundings, but barely looked toward his fiancee or the Doctor.

Something to ask about later, he supposed.

Guido came over to the table and spread a map over its surface. "As you saw," he said as he pointed at different points of the map, "the House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up to the house." He indicated the route the tunnel followed, and a giddy kind of excitement sparked in the Doctor at the possibility. Stealth, infiltration, getting in the old fashioned way. Brilliant. "I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor." Guido instantly deflated the hope for that particular kind of adventure.

"You need someone on the inside," Amy said casually.

The Doctor looked at her, caught her eye. "No." He said simply.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"We pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in." He replied, watching her lips curl up a bit as he went.

"So you know what I was going to say." She said, leaning toward him a bit.

"Course I know what you were going to say. Rose would have said the same thing."

"And you wouldn't let her do it either, would you?" Rory asked from his perch on the barrels. "Because it's insane."

"Yes. Insane, completely insane. But you're wrong, Rory, I would let Rose do it. But Rose is special, sorry Amy, she just is. I wouldn't have to worry about her in house full of vampires."

"But she's not here, so we don't have another option." Amy countered with confidence, and he looked at her incredulously.

He wasn't all too pleased with the gentle nudge in his mind, despite the glee it made rush through his hearts. Rose was listening in, at least as much as she could with his bond all the way open and hers still partially closed. And, of course, despite likely not knowing everything that was going on, she agreed with Amy.

"There is another option," Guido pulled his attention, and the Doctor watched as he pointed toward Rory. "I work at the Arsenale. We build the warships for the navy." He explained, and the Doctor got to his feet. He moved to the barrels, sniffing around Rory and blocking out the scent of human to pick up on something that made his stomach knot.

"Gunpowder. Most people just nick stationary from where they work," he said, putting a hand on Rory's shoulder. It didn't stay there long before Rory slid off and away from the powder kegs. "I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosives, though I appreciate your dedication to getting your daughter out. Been known to go through nearly the same lengths to protect my own. But we can't go blowing it up."

"What do you suggest, then?" Guido bit back. "We wait until they turn her into an animal?" He turned to the fire and stirred it while the Doctor moved toward one of the beds and plopped down on it.

"I'll be there three, four hours tops." Amy said with nonchalance.

He smirked, thought of all those times in their far younger years when Rose would be as insistent on jumping head into danger without knowing there would come a time when that danger was no longer a factor. He felt a weak brush on his mind as his chest tightened with how much he suddenly missed her, and it eased the pain even as Rose's connection drew back.

He looked up, found Rory, met his gaze with the most apologetic look he could muster. "I have to know, have to get in there." He then turned to Amy. "We go together, say you're my daughter."

"What?" Rory demanded, getting to his feet.

"Your daughter? You look about nine!" Amy protested, getting to her feet and getting a little closer to him.

"Looks mean nothing, you've met Jenny."

"Who's Jenny?" Rory asked.

"My daughter." He turned to Rory for a moment before turning to Amy. "Fine, not father. Your brother then."

"Too weird, fiance." Amy countered.

"I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiance." Rory countered.

"Agreed." The Doctor said, getting to his feet. "One, no: wrong." He ignored the pout and frown that accompanied Amy's crossed arms.

"Thank you." Rory murmured, sounding relieved.

"Two: What fiance would want his future bride to go to a school? A churchy school, no less. Churches usually don't encourage the kind of activities husbands want wives to engage in. No, has to be a blood relation. If not a father or a brother, then. Some sort of guardian, care taker."

"You're right." Amy relented. "Already seen you though, so Rory should do it."

"What?" Rory asked coming to stand beside Amy.

She smiled a stilted smile, one that was hiding what ever she was actually thinking or feeling as she reached over and ruffled Rory's hair. "You can be my brother."

"Right, so, him being your brother was weird, but with me it's okay?"

The Doctor cringed, knowing that tone even if it were coming from a man. An angry, jealous, bitter calm that never lead to anywhere good and made time lines move a shift in the wrong direction.

The Doctor peeked over at Guido who also picked up on it Rory's undertone, and shifted a little before focusing his attention on the fire again.

"This whole thing is mental." Rory protested. "They're vampires for God's sake."

"We hope." The Doctor added without thinking.

The room went quiet, and while he was looking at his large, gangly hands as they twisted themselves in knots, he could feel the eyes of the other three people in the room staring back at him.

"But, if they're not vampires …?" Amy asked expectantly.

"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire." The Doctor mumbled. He looked to Rory, met his eye. "We'll have to find you both something to wear, something that fits the era more appropriately, then at sun up we'll go."

"I can help you with the clothing." Guido said. "Just give me a moment."

As Guido turned away, Amy giddily jumped in spot a moment before turning away from Rory. Rory, Rory the Roman who in that moment gave the Doctor a glare so potent it actually made him cower a bit in the small human's presence. Time lines shifted again, but they still didn't connect as they should.

* * *

 

The wait was bad, the Gandola ride was worse, and while the Doctor could feel Rory's eyes on him, heard the odd comment the man made, he ignored it. He focused on his bond with Rose, on the mission ahead, on anything that was not the man he was executing this plan with.

He should've simply dropped Amy back off home for kissing him. Let them sort out their relationship instead of him getting involved. It was domestic, too domestic. It didn't matter that he had a wife, and daughter, a horse at one point, more extended family than he'd ever care to have, this whole thing between Amy and Rory was exactly the kind of thing he didn't want to be involved in. Yes, traveling through time and space does sort of blot out the other things. He remembered what it was like when Rose went back to Mickey after only a few trips, though he'd never admit he only invited Mickey along out of fear of how his own feelings for her. Not that he wasn't relieved when he first declined the offer.

Still, he remembered telling her not to go making the TARDIS domestic on that trip. He'd never thought a century later he'd have had as much a hand in making it that way as she did.

Though he couldn't shoulder any of this situation on to Rose. This was all him.

They left the gondola, giving a nod of thanks to Guido, then carried on.

"Right, okay, I'll go first." He said to Rory as they ventured into the underground beneath the school. "If anything happens to me, go back…."

"Why did she kiss you?" Rory cut him off.

The Doctor huffed. "I dunno." He said as they came up to a door. He pushed it open gently, finding it both excellent and suspicious that it was unlocked.

"You don't know?" It was Rory's turn to huff. "I was supposed to be getting married in 430 years, to a woman I _thought_ wanted to marry me, only to find out that she ran away with you and tried to kiss you."

The Doctor paused, leaning against the cool stone wall, turning to Rory in the dim light.

Rory's jaw was tense, but his eyes betrayed the fear he had. His hands were in fists by his side, and his head was held high.

"I was engaged to Rose for five years. Sorta engaged. Time Lord engaged, I suppose. Not proper human kind, but she was never bothered by that. Put off bonding with her for a slew of reasons, all stupid and pointless, but most of all was fear. Fear I wouldn't live up to what she wanted, fear that she'd discover she didn't really love me, fear that forever would be too much.

"Amy was scared. Don't know how often she's been properly scared through her lifetime, but she seems the type to do impulsive things when she's frightened. I was an impulsive thing, both to run away with and when she tried to kiss me. I didn't know she was getting married, otherwise …."

"You would have brought me along from the beginning." Rory said, and the Doctor cringed.

"I wouldn't have let her come." He admitted. "It's been brilliant having her, truly. She's a great girl, your Amy, clever and quick. But if I'd known she was supposed to be getting married I'd have wished her well and spent some time in the Vortex waiting for Rose to wake up. Churchill could have waited, my daughter … well, I would have gone for her, and the circumstances would have turned out worse than they were, but the point was …."

"So if Amy hadn't kissed you, if she never told you about me at all … would you have brought her back?"

"Of course. She said she wanted to be back for your wedding, wouldn't have kept her around much longer. Mind, she didn't actually say what she wanted to be back for, just said stuff. Had to be back for stuff." He mused, his time sense focusing on the time lines surrounding Rory, connecting him to Amy. They swayed and merged but never fully connected.

A drip of condensation caught the Doctor's attention and pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked around the room. "Mind if we don't do this now? Would like to see those vampires."

"Yeah, sure." Rory said with exasperation, gesturing for the Doctor to keep going.

He lead them down the tunnel a little further until they made it under a grate where they could see the moonlight coming through. "Must be at the courtyard." The Doctor mumbled more to himself than anything. He reached up, having to jump a little to get the grate out of the way, then turned to Rory. "Help me up, I'll pull you up after."

"I'm smaller, should let me up first." Rory countered.

"Smaller in height, maybe, but I'm a Time Lord. Where you're mostly fleshy flesh, I have more muscle mass."

"You're a twig." Rory deadpanned.

"A near unbreakable twig." The Doctor countered. "Trust me, hoist me up." He gestured again, and Rory rolled his eyes and sighed. He helped the Doctor up, and once the Time Lord emerged into the Calvierri school courtyard, he laid on his stomach, reached in, and pulled Rory out.

He didn't say anything about the ease the Doctor made it seem he had pulling him out, but in all actuality the Doctor found it wasn't quite as easy as he expected. The angle, he'd wager. The angle, and this body's lack of grace. "There we are," The Doctor said, getting to his feet and looking around for their ginger accomplice. "Amy?" He called out, but he didn't hear anything. His eyes didn't seem quite as good this time around. Still superior to a human's but he found seeing in the dark wasn't quite as easy as it had been before. "I can't see a thing," He said as he began riffling in his transdimensional pockets for a torch.

"Just as well I brought this, then." Rory said as he pulled out a tiny, microscopic, virtually useless torch.

The Doctor's hand wrapped around the grip of the torch he'd been searching for. "Portable sunlight." He said to Rory with a grin.

"Yours is bigger than mine." Rory said sheepishly.

"Best we don't go there," The Doctor said as he turned the light about until he saw a door still partially open. He moved for it, hearing Rory follow behind as they entered the school.

* * *

 

He hadn't meant it. If there was one thing Rory wanted to do, in that moment, as he and the Doctor ran away from the terrifying women with fangs, it was to go back to before he'd said those awful words.

He wasn't angry with the Doctor, not entirely, certainly not to the degree that he lashed out at him at.

But he was terrified for Amy, because as much as she was doing a very good job at making him feel inadequate, he loved her. And when the Doctor opened the chest to reveal the skeletal remains of humans, explaining in a nonchalant tone that maybe not everyone survives what ever the vampires do, he snapped.

"And I suppose this would have been your attitude if your wife was the one inside and not Amy? 'Maybe not everyone survives the process'. Yeah, maybe not, but they didn't know the risks of coming in here, and you did. You did, and you told Amy not to come, but let her anyway. Because she begged, and pleaded, because she wanted to impress you. That's the most dangerous thing about you, you somehow making it so people don't want to let you down. You make people dangerous to themselves, and I'm willing to put everything I have on the line to say that _you're_ the reason your wife is in a coma."

The Doctor, who had had th good grace to stand there and take Rory's rant, turned cold and fearsome at the last words. If eyes were the windows to the soul for aliens as much as humans, then Rory could say for certain the soul of the Doctor had turned to dark, raging storm clouds with lightning and fierce wind. He was all power and dominance as he stepped toward him and stared Rory down.

"You're right, I am the reason she's not here." He said in an even, calm voice that was far worse than yelling. "And you're right, I do tend to bring out the worst in people. But maybe, Rory, maybe the reason Amy went in was not to impress me, or you, or anyone, but because she wanted to. Maybe she wanted the adventure, or maybe she wanted to be a part of something bigger than a simple life in an English village, but what ever that reason I'm going to be very clear on one thing: I do not _make_ anyone do anything, and that includes your fiancee, am I clear?"

"Who are you?" A group of girls had said at once. The very girls they were running from now, and as Rory did his best to keep up the Doctor he also tried to swallow his guilt.

Because the Doctor was right. He didn't make Amy go in, he didn't make Amy run away from their wedding, he didn't do anything except exactly what Amy had said he would do since they were kids: come and take her away from her boring life.

And Rory, as much as he wanted to push the blame on everyone else, knew without a doubt that he was probably the biggest reason Amy ran.

* * *

 

He figured it out. Proud moment for him, he thought, considering all the domestic going on around him that he really didn't need. But the Doctor knew without a doubt that they were indeed fish girls. With Amy and Rory sent away for a few hours rest (and for Rassilon's sake, maybe discuss their problems), the Doctor had a moment to run through his mind all the possible reasons why a depleting race would leave their perfect planet for Earth, of all places, as he waited for the Signora to find him in her throne room.

The Doctor sat on her throne, felt the electrical hum behind and beneath him but ignored it for now. Likely something to do with the perception filters he knew the fish people were wearing. He then felt Rose nudge his mind, and he couldn't help the smile or the nudge back.

"Any ideas, Sweetheart?" He asked aloud but softly, leaning against his hand with his elbow propped up on the arm of the throne. An image of water came through. "They have lots of water, whole planet is made of it." An image of chips came to his mind next, and he chuckled quietly at it. "If you mean food, I suppose that could be it. They are piranhas for lack of better word. But why here?" An wave of encouragement came through. "We'll figure it out." And then there was regret so strong he ached with it. "We, Rose, always we. You're always with me. I …." He hushed as he heard the door click open, sitting straighter at the sound of shoes clicking on the stone. He let out a whistle as the Signora Rosanna got closer, causing her to startle and pause. "Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you Sister of the Water?" He asked with a smug grin.

She returned it. "Let me guess: The owner of the psychic paper?" He nodded his head once. "Then I take it you're a refugee, like me?"

Refugee? Oh well that was a bit of unexpected information. He shifted a little on the throne, straightening only a touch.

"I'll make you a deal," The Doctor said, feeling Rose ease off just enough that she wouldn't distract him. "An answer for an answer. You're using a perception filter, but seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with so it leaves it blank. Hence, no reflection." He leaned forward a bit. "So why can we see your big teeth?"

Rosanna laughed. "Self preservation over-rides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain."

Fair enough, he could understand that, he supposed. "Where's Isabella?" He asked. Poor girl, Guido's daughter, who freed Amy and helped them all escape was pulled back into the school just as she was near freedom. He'd hoped that maybe she was still a prisoner here, or being converted. He'd have hated to let Guido down.

"My turn," The Signora countered, and the Doctor bit his tongue in an effort to keep things civil. He felt Rose's calm like balm, and he managed to keep his head. "Where are you from?" Rosanna asked.

"Gallifrey," He answered without thought.

The Signora lifted an eyebrow. "You should be in a museum. Or a mausoleum."

He clenched his jaw, feeling more anger than he should have over the offhanded comment. He sent reassurance back to Rose, and his tension eased.

"Why are you here?" He asked, trying a different route of interrogation.

"We were forced to flee by Her. Why are you here?" Rosanna rushed out.

"Wedding present. What do you mean by Her?" The Doctor asked, leaning forward a little bit.

The Signora, for all her true fish physiology would have allowed, paled.

"She … She was looking to build an army against a great and powerful force. One, she said, is known in whispers across the Universe. A hero to some, an enemy to many, but she would not say who or what this was. When we refused to help her, she poisoned our waters, killed so many of our kind in retaliation. We fled. She had some sort of technology, like a warp point, I'm not sure. It allowed our kind to get through to here where there were oceans of our own, but we are very small in numbers. We planned to return when we thought She'd left, but now we see that Saturnyne is lost to us."

"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark II?" The Doctor asked, quietly digesting what the Signora had told him.

"And you can help me." She said with urgency. "We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?" She asked with hope.

He stood, walking slowly toward her. He felt the curiosity of Rose in his mind, weak and not nearly as rapid firing as it normally would be, but it was enough to stoke the embers of his own. Who was She and why was she trying to find an army? And who was she going against?

But before he learned anything else, he wanted to circle back to the one question he did not get an answer to. "Where's Isabella?" He whispered to the Signora.

"Isabella?" She asked in confusion.

Anger coursed through his veins, the certainty of where this was going becoming too clear. "The girl who saved my friend." He replied.

"Oh," The Signora said as if she hadn't even thought of her. And the Doctor would wager she hadn't. "Deserters must be executed. Any general will tell you that." She shrugged before becoming serious again. "I need an answer, Doctor. A partnership, any which way you choose?"

She looked so hopeful, perhaps like she was trying to be seductive as well.

"Married." He said. "Already have a partnership that will last me a life time."

"Carlo!" She called out, though the Doctor did not let it surprise him. He heard someone entering the throne room but ignored their presence for the Signora. "I will bend the heavens to save my race and if you will not help me then I have no need of you."

"This ends today," He warned her as he sense a human coming toward him. "I'll tear down the House of Calvierri stone by stone. Take your hands off my, Carlo." He said, flashing his eyes to the man as his hand attempted to grip the Doctor's shirt. Carlo backed off at the flash of storm in the Doctor's eye. The Time Lord could feel a subtle hint of protectiveness and helplessness in his mind as Rose seemed to understand someone was threatening him. He sent her calm, though it did little for himself as he turned and marched toward the doors with Carlo trailing behind like he could have done something to him to either get him to leave quicker or stay. "And do you know why, Signora? Why I will tear this house down?" The Doctor stopped and turned, sensing the fear rolling off her. "You didn't know Isabella's name."

And with that last word in, the Doctor left.

* * *

 

He had returned to Guido's home, found Amy, and went immediately to her. The Doctor pulled the sonic out, set it to heal and scan, and went over the bite marks on her neck. Rose was there in his head, stronger than earlier. Perhaps it was because they were closer to the TARDIS, perhaps she was awake and waiting. He didn't dare ask her if she was, preferring to feel her mind hum as it went over the possibilities in the background.

When his eyes registered that Amy's marks had been healed, he pulled the sonic away and read the results.

"You're fine." He said, sticking the sonic in his pocket and pulling out a hard butterscotch. "Open wide." He instructed, and she did as she was told. He slid the candy in her mouth, and walked toward the window. He could see water, of course, as it was Venice, but he wasn't really looking for it. He was looking for his third and fourth hearts who were of course unseen at this angle, even if the latter was mobile again.

But water, water helped him think as fish people would. Maybe. It at least helped a bit to look out at it. Possibly. No, it really didn't. "I need to think." He said, returning to the table and plopping down in the chair that was between Amy and Rory.

Between. No, there shouldn't be a between. No gaps. No, they should have gotten over their differences, talked it out, came to an understand, not gaps between chairs.

No. Save Venice first, this relationship second.

"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun." Amy said around the Candy.

Rude and ginger, of course.

The Doctor slapped his hand over her mouth. "Stop talking, brain thinking hush."

He had a chastising nudge from his wife. He ignored it.

"It's the school thing I don't understand." Rory thought out loud only to be rewarded with the Doctor's hand across his mouth as well.

"Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush." He repeated, his lips twitching a touch when the chastising came through a little stronger this time.

"I say we take the fight to them." Guido, who had been in a bit of a stupor since the Doctor returned without Isabella, spoke with passion.

The Doctor looked to him, then to Rory, and nodded.

Rory reached over and covered Guido's mouth.

"Her planet is terrorized, so she steals tech and escapes, ends up here only to find out there is no way to get back there even if there are survivors. So they come here, and she seals off the city, and changes girls into creatures like her. All fish head and bug body, starting a new gene pool. But then what? They come from the sea, they can't survive on land. So what's she going to do?" He dropped his hands from Amy and Rory's mouth, Rory releasing Guido, and thankfully none of them spoke. An image of terraforming came to his mind from Rose. "Change the environment to make the city habitable, yes, I agree. But how? Bend the heavens. She said she'd bend the heavens to save her race." He got the image of rain. A bit of the scent, too, and he breathed it in deep. It helped make it click. "She's going to sink Venice!" The Doctor realized.

"She's going to sink Venice?" Guido asked incredulously.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed." The Doctor nodded.

"But …." Rory said, getting his attention. "You can't repopulate with just women. You need blokes."

Amy smacked her forehead, huffing a bit. "She's got blokes." She said as if she thought she was stupid for not seeing something sooner.

"Where?" The Doctor asked. He was very, very certain that Carlo was a human. There were probably a couple sons, too, but he'd really only seen girls.

"In the canal." Amy said, looking between he and Rory. "She said to me 'there are ten thousand husbands waiting in the water'."

"Only the male offspring survived the journey, then. She's got ten thousand children swimming in the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends." He grimaced. "Ew. I mean, I've been around a bit but that's…." The mental slap was hard, jarring, and enough to make him cry out loud. "Ah!" He gripped his head, slid his hands over his ears, then dropped them by his side as he got a flash of the scowl Rose would have given him if she were there. "You know all this already, it's hardly news!" He shouted around at the ceiling. It didn't ease the retaliation.

"What are you going on about?" Rory asked him, and he noted the confusion wasn't just coming from him but also Guido and Amy, though she seemed highly amused.

"My wife just sorta slapped me for that comment. Mentally slapped, as we have a bond. Telepathic, can feel and hear each other's thoughts and my end's been wide open seeking her out. Means she heard everything I just said. Didn't like it much."

"You have a telepathic bond … with your wife? What does that mean?" Guido asked.

The Doctor wrung his hands, having forgotten that there was at least one person in the room who likely hadn't known he was an alien. He opened his mouth to come up with some sort of excuse when a clattering above his head distracted him.

"The people upstairs are very noisy." He commented instead, crossing his toes in hopes that he wasn't going to get the answer he was expecting.

"There aren't any people upstairs." Guido replied.

"I knew you were going to say that." The Doctor sighed. "Did anyone else know he was going to say that?" He asked Amy and Rory but they both remained quiet and nearly perfectly still.

Another creak sounded over their heads.

"Is it the vampires?" Rory asked softly.

"Like I said," The Doctor replied, reaching in his pocket and pulling out the ultraviolet light from earlier. "They're not vampires. Fish from space."

A loud thump came from the doorway, the glass on the windows broke, and from every possibly exit point they were blocked in by the fish girls, all bearing the teeth.

The Doctor used the light to try and hold them back, which worked for the most part, but he wondered if maybe the perception filters also seemed to help shield them from the sun as well. Pulling out his sonic, he changed the setting and disrupted the filters.

"What's happened to them?" He heard Guido ask in a shaky voice. Fear, and not just of the girls, but for the one girl he knew now he would really never see again.

"They've been fully converted." He replied as he looked at the fish aliens in front of him. "Blimey, fish from space have never been so … buxom."

" _Oi! Watch where those new eyes of yours are pointing."_ He heard Rose's mental voice yell in his mind and he straightened right up.

" _Yes, Sweetheart."_ He sent back with a smile.

She groaned, and he felt a ripple of a headache before she faded back to just a hum in the back of his mind.

"We have to move, come on!" He said, and they all rand down the stairs.

"Give me the lamp," Guido asked from behind him, and since he was the last in their little group, the Doctor didn't think twice about it. He instead rushed Amy and Rory along, out the door, through the flock of chickens just outside, encouraging them to run on.

It wasn't until he was a few feet away from the door did he realized he hadn't heard footsteps behind him. The Doctor turned, seeing a determined Guido at the door.

"Stay away from the door, Doctor." He said before shutting it hard.

The Doctor could hear the click as he ran closer, and pounded on the door as he got out his sonic. "Guido! What are you doing?" He demanded. No answer. "I'm not leaving you! Just tell me what you're doing?" He begged, pointing the sonic at the door. "Blimey, I have make a wood setting for this thing. Guido!" He pounded again.

He was about to kick in the door when it hit him as to why Guido would keep the girls inside, lock them out. All those barrels. It would only take a single spark, a tiny flame.

He ran. He ran as quickly as his new feet would carry him, absently surprised by the grace in which they carried him when danger was causing the sprint. He heard the explosion, felt the rush of air on his back, and stopped to turn and look at the disaster as smoke billowed out the windows and loose debris fluttered around him.

The Doctor stared at the house.

_That's the most dangerous thing about you, you somehow making it so people don't want to let you down._

Rory's angry words from the night before reverberated in his mind. He knew on instinct that Guido didn't want to impress him, he simply did what he thought was right. But it still stung, still felt like his fault, and despite the calm reassurance from Rose, he hated himself. He should have thought to set some sort of trigger to let the barrels explode on their own. Should have forced Guido to go ahead of him.

" _My fault."_ Rose's mental voice was weak, pained.

" _No, no not your fault."_ He replied, feeling the intensity of her headache coming over him. " _Rest, Rose. Heal. Please."_

He felt rather than heard her acknowledgment, and while the pain she was in faded off he still felt traces of it.

He heard the thunder around him, sensed that the clouds were darkening, and sighed. No time to mourn, no time for anything. As Rory and Amy came up behind him he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Rosanna's initiating the final phase," He said.

"We need to stop her." Amy replied, "Come on."

"No, got back to the TARDIS." He said, waving her off.

"You can't stop her on your own." Amy countered.

And that, that more than anything, tipped him over the edge. "That was not a request!" He snapped, whirling around on her. "I'm capable of handling Rosanna on my own. Now, I tell you to go to the TARDIS, you do it!"

He regretted it the second it came out of his mouth. It was all too much too soon. Rose communicating but still in pain because of him. Guido having died to help him. And Isabella likely lost her life helping as well. He could still feel the time lines wavering around them, and he wasn't sure if that had something to do with the events happening now or the choices Amy had made along the way.

And with the quiver of Amy's lip before she turned swiftly around and bolted, he realized he'd been too harsh.

Rory didn't seem to know how to take it. He looked like he wanted to thank him as much as he wanted to yell right back, and the Doctor would take it. Instead, he simply nodded, and as Rory turned and chased after Amy, the Doctor turned his gaze skyward. Rosanna's plans were coming to fruitation, and he needed to stop it. Now.

* * *

 

It had been a while since he'd been around so much death, and the Doctor's hearts were heavy with it. He'd stopped the storm, admittedly with Rory and Amy's help despite him asking them to leave. But he also watched Rosanna commit suicide, putting the blame of her species' end on his shoulders, and he was feeling all the weight of it.

He'd raised his shields, putting on his cheerful mask, and led Rory and Amy back through the streets of Venice to the TARDIS.

"Now then, what about you two, eh?" He asked, hearing how fake his happiness sounded in his head. Still, he buggered on. The time lines around them were slowly coming back together, and he hoped they just needed that final push. Something had to go right today. "Next stop, Leadworth Register Office? Maybe I can give you away?" He turned to walk backwards, hoping to find a happy couple holding hands following him.

Amy was stiff, looking nearly like she was going to be sick with the thought, remaining a good distance away from her fiance. Rory had noticed, looked exasperated, and the Doctor sensed the time lines splitting again.

"Maybe not." Rory said, causing them all to stop in front of the TARDIS. He looked to Amy who gaped at him, her panic changing to something else. Rory looked at his feet. "You ran." He said. "And I don't get it, except I sorta do. I do. I think. So, I mean, umm …." He looked to the Doctor. "I guess you could drop me back."

"Would you like to stay?" The Doctor offered, and Amy's face lit up. She seemed to take a breath and held it, looking to Rory and practically staring holes in his skull.

"Yeah?" Rory asked, seeming honestly surprised by the offer. "Yes, I would like that." He nodded firmly.

"Nice one!" Amy threw her arms around Rory's neck and kissed him firmly on the lips. Time lines still bent and curved, but they were drifting back closer together and that was a start. "I will pop the kettle." She turned to the TARDIS, pushing the door open a little. "Hey, look at this. Got my spaceship, got my boys."

"Oi, _your_ space ship?"

Amy and Rory looked confused as the Doctor choked.

He gaped at them, not sure he dared believe he heard that voice outside his head. Without any grace he shoved through the doors, earning a protest from Amy as she was shoved out of the way without apology.

He darted up the ramp and paused at the top, his respiratory bypass kicking in while his hearts beat double time.

"Have a whole new level of understanding 'bout everything you go through when ya change. Let's try not to go through it again anytime soon, yeah?" Rose said as she sat on the jumpseat, feet tucked under her, a mug on the floor within reach. Her hair was straight, and she was dressed in trousers and a blouse.

The Doctor moved toward her, eyes never leaving the sight before him, and he collapsed on his knees in front of her. He reached up, cupped her cheek, choking back a sob as she closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch.

And then, in his mind, she sighed his name. And he was done for.

He pulled her to him, kissing her deeply, tears flowing from his eyes unabashedly as he felt his bond flaring with every touch of their skin.

"Can't completely feel you in my head." He said against her lips before trailing his down her cheek and neck. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent mixed with her banana shampoo.

"Mine still hurts." She said as her fingers laced in his hair. "Don't want you to feel it."

"I do." He pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers. "I caused you that pain, I should feel it. All of it."

Rose shook her head as best she could before pressing her lips to his.

Oh and they felt magnificent on these new lips of his. He kissed her so many times already, but to feel her take charge, to feel his wonderful Rose bestow the affection was brilliant. Fantastic. Utter perfection.

"Hate to break up the party, but we're waiting to go somewhere." Amy tore him from the bubble that was just he and Rose. He looked to his fire haired companion with a smile that barely lasted when he met her eye and was greeted with a cold glare.


	8. The Wolf Wakes

As Rose opened her eyes, she was first greeted with the giddy hum of the TARDIS. She was then instantly overwhelmed with what she would equate to the worst migraine ever. Just as quickly the lights were dimmed, and the TARDIS hummed apologies for overwhelming her wolf.

"Thanks," Rose said softly, finding her voice raw and throat dry as she sat up slowly. She took in her surroundings: the small, simply room with a single chair and a table beside the bed she was in. She looked down at her rumpled bridesmaid's dress and snorted. He washed her, but he didn't change her?

Slowly, she slid off the bed. Rose's legs wobbled a bit after so long laying down, but after a few steps in her bare feet she managed gain some balance. She reached out to her husband, catching a glimpse of his new face in her mind, noting his vanity carried over. Still, she couldn't complain how he turned out. She knew what he was going to look like, of course, but at the same time she didn't remember him perfectly.

" _See that too, do you Sweetheart? Bond opened wide, can see me admiring … I can say…."_ She heard him in her mind, echoed and faint, breaking up like a cell call with a bad signal. Still just hearing him clearer than she had while she was under made her grin right up until her migraine flared. She clutched her head, nearly falling on her knees with the pain, and the TARDIS hummed soothingly.

"Oi, this isn't pleasant." Rose grumbled as the pain finally eased. "Got to get to him." She said. "Git's likely going to be in trouble."

The TARDIS lightly screeched, and Rose's head throbbed for the effort.

"Fine, okay. No good to him like this, am I? Barely awake, can't go charging out there, can I? Maybe a proper bath, then. Change my clothes." She said, and the TARDIS dimmed the lights a little more in the room, opened the door, then opened the one across the hall with only soft lighting for a path. Rose smiled, patted the wall on the way by, and entered the bedroom that she'd shared with the Doctor for over a century.

Or at least she walked through the door that had been theirs, the room looked similar yet very different.

"What's all this?" Rose asked, and the TARDIS hummed worriedly. "No, no, I love it. Century of the same decor, 's nice to have a change." She reassured with a pat on the wall, only noticing it wasn't that grungy coral she was used to. She heard the water turn on in the en suite, and she moved inside. At least this room looked more or less the same, except she couldn't help but notice the bath tub now had the perfect contours and a cushion to cradle her comfortably as she laid back for a soak. It took absolutely no convincing for Rose to shuck her dress and climb in to the water. Gauged perfectly to her liking, she sunk down in the nearly too warm water.

" _It's like climbing into a boiling pot."_ She could recall her husband complaining about the temperature the one and only time they attempted to bath together with her preference. It was his former voice, as was the image of him perched on the edge of the tub like a cat avoiding climbing in. She could tolerate his lukewarm needs, but it wasn't quite the same.

Breathing deep, she noticed that there was a light scent of banana in the air that was oddly soothing, and fragrant bubbles began to form in the water. She hummed happily, closing her eyes, attempting again to reach out to her husband. The pain lingered, but as long as she didn't try to connect to him it was tolerable.

She felt his glee, the kind that came when facing something he considered a treat, if not a bit dangerous. Not entirely sure what it was, considering she couldn't quite connect, Rose was equal parts excited for him as she was worried. She wanted him in solve what ever problem he was facing, but she wanted him to be careful. There were echoes in his mind, a man and a woman, and she vaguely recalled something about a companion while she was under. His eagerness came back, and she could see in his mind an image of girls with fangs and … fish? Fish with fangs? It was quickly replaced with the TARDIS, and his desire to come for her.

"No. Stay, take care of things." She said out loud, but as she tried to send the words, her heard ached to the point of seeing spots. She thought that maybe he at least got the sentiment as his focused turned back to the thought of companions and fish women with fangs.

Well, not that she really understood what that was about, but there wasn't much she could do. Her arm, she realized once the pain in her mind receded, ached as well. The hot water seemed to ease her muscles as it enveloped her, and she was beginning to understand that she really wasn't going to be physically able keep up with the Doctor for a day or so.

Periodically she would open her bond a touch to try and listen in where his was open.

" _Someone … inside."_ A female voice said, much more faint than the Doctor's.

" _No."_ Her husband's voice was a bit louder _. "We pretend you're an applicant … tonight … trap door … let us in. Rose would have … same thing."_

" _Wouldn't let her … insane."_ A man's voice, faint like the woman's.

" _Wrong, Rory. Let Rose do it … Rose is special. I wouldn't have to worry …."_

" _But she's not here … another option."_ The woman said again.

She could feel her husband's reluctance, and she tried to remind him that she would do dangerous things. She tried to remind him that sometimes there was no other choice, and just as she half thought about climbing out of the tub and finding him the TARDIS screeched a warning. Her head ached with the sound, paired with the effort of trying to talk to the Doctor, and she thought better of it.

The TARDIS, smug thing that she could be, hummed something that made Rose think she if she had a chin she'd have lifted it with a sense of superiority.

"Hush you," She grinned at the ceiling.

She closed her eyes, rested her head against the provided cushion, and allowed the TARDIS to sing in her mind.

Rose didn't know how long she was in there for, what with the water never getting cold and the bubbles never dissipating. She was pretty sure she'd drifted off, her head feeling mildly better for it, and the mild ache in her arm gone. Still, she didn't move, not right away. Testing the connection with the Doctor, she entered his mind just a bit more than before.

He took a metaphorical step into hers as well, sharing with her all that had happened already. It was a bit much, but did not bring the splitting headache it had before.

" _Any ideas, Sweetheart?_ " He asked in her mind.

Well, they _were_ fish people. Would make perfect sense that they would need water. Venice did have it in plenty.

" _They have lots of water, whole planet is made of it._ " He replied.

So why would someone leave their planet if it was still habitable?

Her stomach growled in the same instant, the phantom taste of chips with vinegar and salt hitting her tongue and making her mouth water. His laughter in her mind made her heart clench and her cheeks flush.

" _If you mean food, I suppose that could be it_." He said, and she realized that her thought of chips was what went through to him. Well, let him think she was being clever, best he not know it was an accident. " _They are piranhas for lack of better word. But why here?_ "

"You'll figure it out." She said, though she didn't send the words to him, merely the sentiment behind them.

" _We'll figure it out._ " He said, having no idea that he spoke nearly the same words.

We. How badly did she wish she could be there with him? She should be there with him, especially now that she was feeling a bit better.

" _We, Rose, always we. You're always with me."_ He reminded her, and it eased the guilt a bit.

His distraction startled her, making her body jerk and slosh water over the side of the tub.

"Sorry, Darling," Rose said immediately before the TARDIS could grumble. Without a sound, the water was gone as if it hadn't been there at all.

Rose listened, easing her mind back as the Doctor exchanged words with this Signora woman. The head fish vampire lady, if she assumed correctly. She sensed his discomfort on some topics, and would ease him as best she could without intruding. Not easy, especially with the implication from this thing he was talking to that he should be dead.

But then this woman said something that caught her attention.

Someone was out in the universe trying to raise an army against someone powerful, and stopped at nothing to make sure those who turned her away would suffer. Someone simply known as She. Well, that was a weird thing to go by. Why not some sort of dark, twisty name? She could have called herself Mistress, or Dame, or something other than She.

The TARDIS hummed a warning as Rose started climbing out of the tub with purpose, but she ignored it.

Toweling off, Rose started to think of the library, what legends she might find there that might give identity to either this woman or the entity she was rising up against.

Rage and indignation hit her through her bond, and Rose reached out despite the sharp pain to see what was happening with her husband. The Doctor, she sensed, was being threatened but was in no real danger. Hairs on her arms raised, and her teeth ground as she tried to take deep breaths and stop herself from doing something stupid like charge after him in nothing but a towel. His calm helped her, and eventually she managed to ease back from him as well as her protective instincts to finish drying.

When she re-entered the bedroom, she found a pair of trousers and comfortable jumper laid out for her.

"You're sucking up all of a sudden." Rose teased the TARDIS. She said nothing back as Rose gathered under garments and dressed. As she did, her stomach growled again in protest. "Right, nibble and tea, then the library I think." She said, straightening her shirt and stepping out the door. She was instantly across from the galley. "What're you up to? What don't you want me to see?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes at the ceiling. She realized after a beat that it was different. Not terribly, but enough to note. She looked down, seeing the floors now had glass over the grating. "You changed!" She said suddenly, whipping her head toward the ceiling. "'S what you don't want me to see, you changed when he did, yeah?" The TARDIS hummed in confirmation. "Well, let's see, then." Rose turned away from the galley, immediately heading toward the console room.

She moved through the corridors, noting that it seemed to take longer than normal to get to her destination.

When she emerged from the corridor she gasped, taking in the orange hues and the glass floor. She moved slowly down the stairs, peeking down to the lower level but not really seeing much of it. Rose moved to the console, running her fingers along the edge as she took in the changes there as well. The TARDIS filled in her mind with the subtle differences as she looked at the new controls, and she grinned.

"Blimey, you are stunning, you know?" Rose said to the ceiling, smiling with her tongue peeking out. The room brightened, and the TARDIS hummed happily. "What brought this on?" The TARDIS showed her how the Doctor's regeneration energy exploded. "Damaged you too, did he?" She asked, chuckling in her chest when the TARDIS grumbled in affirmation. "He didn't mean to hurt either of us." She reassured with a rub of the time rotor. It bobbed as if the ship were nodding.

Rose took one more lap of the new console room before she left and headed for the galley as she was originally intending. Inside, she found everything she needed to whip up a quick batch of chips all laid out for her and ready to go. As she tossed the sticks of potato into the frying basket, her mind turned to tea. Not the best combination, but she craved both desperately. Lowering the basket in the fryer, she went about filling the kettle with water.

Her mind wandered to the Doctor, feeling his moving miles a minute that even her fast thinking couldn't keep up with. She set the filled kettle on the stove as the thoughts, " _Rude and Ginger."_ came through from him.

"Oi, don't be rude yourself." She snapped, but felt as though she wasn't really getting the words through.

The kettle whistled, calling for attention.

"Help that along, did you?"She asked out loud, and the TARDIS hummed eagerly. Still some time on the chips before they were ready, so Rose made her tea to sip while she waited.

Inhaling the scent of the beverage, she felt her mind tingling. It made her shudder from the strangeness, as well as eager for her first sip.

As soon as the liquid hit her tongue, her head ached but in a pleasant way. It was as if things that weren't quite aligned were falling back into place.

"Super-heated infusion of free-radicals and tannin, best cure for regeneration sickness." She took another sip. "That what's wrong with me?" She asked thoughtfully. To her surprise, she got the sense that the TARDIS didn't know.

With a shrug, Rose took another sip, finished cooking and preparing her chips, then took the newspaper lined basket with her to the library.

Setting the chips on the table, she made her way up to the history of the universe section. The TARDIS led her to the books on legends, which Rose would have assumed someone that was as powerful sounding as whomever this She was hunting had to have become in the end.

Bringing an arm full back down, she plopped down on the floor with her back against the sofa. Books at her side, she took the one off the top and opened it, bending her legs to prop the book up in her lap.

" _She's got ten thousand children swimming in the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriend."_ The Doctor's thoughts came through to her just as she was about to stick a chip in her mouth. _"I mean, I've been around a bit but that's …."_

"Hey, you!" She cried as she imagined herself slapping him as hard as she could. "Do not try and be all impressive with things like that!"

" _You know this already, it's hardly news!_ " He replied to her outburst, and she knew for certain her words didn't get through to him.

"Not the point." She mumbled, chomping down on a chip and turning her attention to the book in front of her. She began to skim, which she had momentarily forgot was much faster than a normal human could and retain the knowledge. Nothing on a She at all in this one. Setting it aside, she paused to eat a few more chips before moving on to the next book.

She opened it up, and realized that the crease she was seeing wasn't really from the pages but from breasts. And not hers.

"Oi, watch where those eyes of yours are pointing." She yelled at the Doctor, and the TARDIS hummed in laughter that made Rose glare at the ceiling with a grin. "Glad you think that's funny." She said to the time ship.

" _Yes, Sweetheart,_ " Her smile fell as she realized that the Doctor had heard her. His surprise and joy came through, but the flood of it all paired with her first successful attempt at talking to him was like someone poking at a fresh wound. The irritation made Rose's headache come back, and she hurriedly pulled back a bit while reaching for her tea.

Gulping it back, she felt her mind sort itself out as the tea entered her system. She shuddered again, her ears nearly ringing with the strangeness of it all.

No, not from the way her mind was healing, there was an explosion near the Doctor. _Her_ ears weren't ringing, his were. She sensed his heavy guilt, and knew that whatever was going on someone just sacrificed themselves so her husband and his companions could get one step closer to stopping the fish vampires.

"My fault." She mumbled, knowing that if she hadn't stayed in the TARDIS, whoever died would have survived. She could have done what ever had to have been done.

" _No, no, not your fault._ " He reassured her quickly, and she smiled weakly. " _Rest, Rose. Heal. Please."_ He asked, and she drew back so she could allow the tea to do just that.

Opening her eyes, she spotted the tea tray on the table, pot with steam coming out the spout, cream and sugar sitting beside it.

"You take such good care of us," She rubbed the floor. "Need to do something nice for you, too."

The TARDIS gave a sort of hummed scoff that made Rose chuckle as she leaned forward and fixed another cup of tea. She read while she sipped, trying to find something on this She that might give her a hint of some kind.

The third book in the stack she'd collected at random was one she'd known was in the library but never sought out: The History of the Time War.

Gingerly picking it up, she opened it carefully. Her Gallifreyan was beginners at best, and her head ached trying to translate it all and have it make sense. Sometimes the TARDIS would help her with it since she bonded with the Doctor, as if it became an unspoken acknowledgment that she was now permitted to know what all his little notes said, or read the works of his people. She could speak it only slightly better, Jenny having a far better grasp on both aspects thanks to the Time Lord in her make-up. So while her daughter could have picked up the book and read through it without much effort and only few questions to her father, Rose felt pressure forming behind her eyes with the effort.

She closed the book and her eyes with a huff, breathing deep and settling her stomach before draining her tea.

When the nausea passed, she opened her eyes and fixed her next cup.

"Going to have to put this off for a bit." She realized, her head still tingling lightly. She sensed her husband closing off, and frowned. "Maybe I should go wait for him. Seems like he might need me soon, yeah?" She said more to herself, though the TARDIS still agreed. Getting up, Rose noted the books, tea tray, and empty chip basket disappeared by the time she got to her feet. "Don't have to clean up after me, ya know." She teased the time ship as she left the library with her cup of tea still in hand.

The console room was, thankfully, not too far away from the library this go around, and she entered the bright, cheerful room and plopped down on the bigger of the two jumpseats. She tucked her feet under her, leaned against the backrest, and closed her eyes while she drank her tea. Her headache was finally barely more than a memory, and she set her mug down on the floor by the seat.

When she heard the door partly open, she startled, sitting up straight and whipping her head around to glimpse her husband for what was essentially the first time since his regeneration.

A ginger woman partly stepped inside, but didn't enter.

"Hey, look at this." She said with a very Scottish accent. "Got my spaceship, got my boys."

"Oi, _your_ space ship?" Rose blurted out. Who the hell was this woman and what right did she think she had to call the TARDIS hers? And what did she mean by her _boys_? The TARDIS hummed a bit of a giggle, making no move to calm the wolf who glared at the head of red hair before it was pushed ungracefully out of the way by a tall, lanky man. He darted up the ramp, pausing at the top, staring.

The Doctor, her husband, the man she loved more than anything, gapped at her like he wasn't sure she was real.

"Have a whole new level of understanding 'bout everything you go through when ya change. Let's try not to go through it again anytime soon, yeah?" She teased a bit as he moved toward her.

He dropped to his knees and reached for her, and his cool touch was a balm to the lingering pain in her mind. Skin to skin contact re-calibrating their bond, the ache of reaching for him mentally gone, the pleasure of it all made her sigh his name, and while not spoken it still felt as though it had been. The mental caress of the chiming language she barely began to learn left a phantom sensation on her lips and tongue that was brushed away with his own as he crashed his mouth on to hers.

"Can't completely feel you in my head," He murmured against her mouth before placing delicate kisses along her cheek and neck. He then buried his nose in her hair as his other arm came around her, holding her as he breathed her in.

"Mine still hurts," She said as her hand slipped into his hair. Soft, longer than she was used to, but nothing she couldn't adjust to quickly. "Don't want you to feel it." She said as she lightly grazed her fingers against his scalp.

"I do," The Doctor said as he pulled back to press his forehead to hers, his floppy hair tickled just above her eyebrows. "I caused you that pain, I should feel it. All of it."

She shook her head, chuckling in her chest at his unchanging self deprecation before she used her hand in his hair to hold him still so she could kiss him. Different lips, a little fuller, mouth a bit wider, but the taste was the same and that was all that mattered. Well, that and how the Doctor melted into her like it was his life that depended on hers.

"Hate to break up the party, but we're waiting to go somewhere." That Scottish voice that declared the TARDIS hers pulled the Doctor away from the kiss.

Rose looked around him to see the red head staring at him coldly, arms crossed and tangling in her scarf. Her skirt was way too short to be practical for anything, and were those bloody fishnet stockings she was wearing? The TARDIS sent her an image of her self over a hundred years ago wearing a similar outfit.

An outfit she distinctly remembered wearing for the express purpose of possibly getting a rise out of the Doctor when he knew Mickey was coming to see them, and she certainly hadn't paired it with fishnets. She was also pretty sure her skirt was a bit longer.

Rose's eyes then flickered over to the man not far behind the redhead who looked utterly exasperated. Beneath his vest on a red shirt was a black and white image of he and the ginger within a heart. He leaned against the console, crossing his arms and looking to the ceiling.

"Right you are, Pond!" The Doctor exclaimed, getting up to his feet and whipping at his face before reaching down for Rose's hand in the same move. She took it, and he eased her to her feet. The Doctor met Rose's eye, grin spreading wide. "What do you say, Sweetheart? Where should we go? I tried Venice for romance, but it turned out, well, not."

"Romance?" Rose arched a brow.

"Yes, for them. Wedding present. Well, sort of wedding present. A date, as it were. So what do you say? A place with no running, where should we go?"

She grinned, moving to the console, and popped in some coordinates. He peeked over her shoulder, hand on her back. "How's that?" She asked, turning up to see him.

His smile was so warm and reverent it nearly made her catch her breath. A hundred years with the man, and it was like she was falling in love with him all over again.

He broke away, danced around to console before returning to the dematerilization switch. "Geronimo." He said before throwing it.

Geronimo?

Alright, so quirks happen.

When the TARDIS landed with a shudder no one moved.

The red head was still glaring at her and the Doctor, and the man was leaning against the rail, staring at the floor.

"Right, proper introductions." The Doctor said behind her before darting around and standing between she and the ginger. "Rose, this is Amy Pond and Rory …." The Doctor gestured to each of them, hands clasping together as a look of guilt washed over him.

"Williams." Rory spat out.

"Williams, yes. Rory Williams. They're a couple. About to get married."

"Until she ran away with your husband."

"Until she ran away with me, yes. Mistake that."

"Oi," Amy said indignantly. "You invited me."

"Before I knew what you were leaving." He said quickly, turning his guilty expression on Rose.

"Right." Rose said, unsure exactly how to break the very strong tension around them. She chewed her lip a moment before she chose to look to Rory. "Probably don't want to be running around in that forever. Wardrobe, so long as it hasn't moved, should be up those stairs there." She pointed, and Rory nodded before following her instructions.

"Go on, Pond." The Doctor encouraged.

Amy glanced between them, looking nervously at the Doctor and glaring at Rose. She rolled her eyes, turning away and giving them space. She listened, but neither the Doctor nor Amy said anything before Rose heard Amy retreat in the same direction as Rory.

"She kissed me." The Doctor said, and Rose tensed up. "Or tried, more like it."

"So you're telling me the first lips those lips touched weren't mine?" She said without masking her bitterness.

He came toward her, hands smoothing over her waist as his presence radiated against her back. "No," He said in her ear before kissing the spot just behind it. "I kissed yours, kissed you every chance I got. You were the first person these eyes saw, first kiss for these lips, first skin these hands touched. Please don't be jealous of Amy."

"I'm not …."

"Rose." He said teasingly. "Hundred years, Sweetheart. Bond or not, I know that look."

She huffed, turned, and glared. "So why's she still here, then? Rory wasn't here when it happened, yeah? So why bring him instead of leavin' her?"

He glanced away to the stairs the couple disappeared down. "Time Lines." He said, then raised his hands and hovered them near her temples. "Can I show you?"

Rose shook her head. "Best not. Still got a bit of an ache right now. Even the TARDIS showing me things sorta hurts."

His shoulders dropped as his hands flopped to his side. A disappointed sigh escaped his lips as he turned and leaned against the console. He gripped the edge, but held her eye as he spoke. "Amy and Rory, they are important. Time is shifting, becoming unsteady, and it's all because Amy chose to run. Same time she needed to, had to. But so long as she has Rory with her it looks like they'll still come together as they should. Leaving her behind was leaving it to chance. And besides, you know what it's like, one person seeing all the splendor of the universe never works out in the end. Look at you and Mickey."

Rose, despite herself, laughed. Yes, time lines were very important, terribly so. She'd seen the Doctor choose to stay or run because of them for a century, and she could never resent him for the decision. But she had planned to continue giving him a bit of a cold shoulder for allowing what ever he had to make Amy think she had a right to kiss him.

"Think you had more to do with that than the splendor." She teased, placing her hands on his chest and sliding them beneath his jacket. When she felt the suspenders she curled her fingers around them, bringing him a little closer. The smirk and darkened look he gave her made her like the accessory more than she planned to. "Sights were nice, but it was always your handsome features and impressive mind that drew me in." She said as she studied the new face before her. "You have the same facial structure as you did then." She noted. "More hair. Nose not quite so majestic."

"Majestic was it?" He asked and she giggled.

"Chin makes up for the difference."

"Oi," he said and she was laughing harder.

"Saying you're handsome, ya git." She playfully smacked him before resting her hand on his shoulder.

"I pass inspection, Missus Tyler?" He said, stepping back and out of her hold with his arms out to the side.

"Dunno, haven't seen what's underneath yet." She bit her tongue as he blushed, the color traveling down to his cheeks once his ears couldn't turn any redder.

He cleared his throat, hands moving for his collar. "And what do you think of the bow tie? Is it cool?" He asked as he straightened it.

"Might be," She teased. Before she could blink he was picking her up, spinning her around as she yelped and giggled. "What ya doin'?"

"Just immensely happy you're with me again. Even if we can't fully use the bond at the moment." He said as he set her down. He kissed her quickly before darting quickly away to the door, and she noticed he stumbled twice on the ramp but recovered with a gangly sorta grace. She swallowed back her laugh, covering her smirk behind her hand as she glanced to the stairway leading to the wardrobe.

Amy and Rory emerged, and while the latter made eye contact and gave a bit of a smile, the former marched right over to the Doctor. She clutched at his arm. "So where are we?" She asked.

He glanced over to Rose. "Go out and take a look," he said, and Amy bounced on her feet before darting out the doors.

Rory sighed, looked like he wanted to shake his head, maybe growl a bit, but moved down the ramp. He'd changed out of the long sleeved declaration of his relationship with the ginger that darted ahead without so much as a word to him.

"How're those time lines looking?" Rose asked as she started to follow outside.

"Surprisingly on course." The Doctor sighed. As she came up beside him, his hand fell into hers.

It fit just perfectly, and she sighed contentedly as she vaguely remembered having already known it would happen. And he sighed, a wave of contentment coming through from him as they stepped out after their companions as one. Like they always had.


	9. Vincent and the Doctor pt 1

"I still can't believe we're in Paris." Rory said over his shoulder as the four of them made their way to the Musee D'Orsay, each couple walking with their hands linked.

"Where're you planning to honeymoon?" Rose asked, stroking her thumb along the Doctor's, feeling the prickles of pleasure run from him to her with each pass. He hadn't let go of her if it could be helped, and any disconnection was brief. Croissants outside a cafe looking at the Eiffel tower had been a bit tricky until he finally relented that he was entirely too ungraceful to eat them one handed. He was covered in flaky crumbs by the time he was done, much to the amusement of their companions.

Or, at least one. Amy seemed to focus nearly all her attention on the Doctor, giving Rory some of her time as well, and virtually ignored Rose as much as she could. She laughed a bit too loudly at some the Doctor's quips which would make him fidget, glance at Rory apologetically before turning his gaze to somewhere else and gripping Rose a little tighter. She didn't need the bond in full use to know he was uncomfortable with the attention Amy was paying him now, no matter how much his big ego loved to be stroked.

It was Amy's suggestion they go to the museum, one she pleaded for with a pout and a tight grip on the Doctor's arm. Over kill when it was made clear by everyone that the idea had been a good one.

She and Rory led the way, following roadsigns and verbal direction from the Doctor. Rose noted that their hand hold was looser than the one the Doctor and her shared, as well as the distance between them. Too much for a couple who was supposed to be getting married.

"We were going to just spend some time in Cardiff." Rory said, his voice louder than Rose anticipated with a particular emphasis on the past tense. "Amy works in London, and that's where my Dad lives, so we thought Cardiff might be a nice, quiet spot to honeymoon." He looked up at the quickly approaching museum. "Thought a lot of things."

"Oh, hush up. Can't complain about missing Cardiff when we're in Paris." Amy said, closing the distance to nudge Rory with her elbow.

"Yeah," was all he said, and like that the conversation was shut down.

Rose glanced at the Doctor in time to see him sigh.

She didn't dare ask what he might have been seeing, didn't really need to to know it likely wasn't going the way it should.

They entered the museum with a flash of psychic paper and slowly made their way through the rooms and floors in relative silence broken only by the occasional comment.

"Stone carvings?" Amy asked as they passed through the room slowly, taking their time to look at the pieces.

"Looks Greek." Rory commented, reaching up and running his finger over the base of might soldier.

"Roman," The Doctor said with a knowing smile. He pointed to the far corner of the room, and Rose followed the direction with her eyes until she'd seen the all too familiar statue of Fortuna. She rolled her eyes and groaned, making the Doctor giggle and pull her quickly to him in a quick, tight embrace.

"How do you know for sure?" Rory asked, shifting to study a depiction of Venus.

"Oh, might have been there for a couple of these." The Doctor replied cryptically. "Rose too." He said as she spotted something that made her breath catch. She stepped away from the Doctor, letting go of his hand with a whiny protest from him inside her mind that she promptly ignored.

"Wish I was for this one." She said as she drifted to the statue that caught her eye half way across the room. Without thinking, she ran her hand up the strong calf until she couldn't reach any more. She traced the lines of the torso and strong arms with her eyes, committing them to memory. "Who was the lucky artist?" She asked the blushing Doctor as he, Amy, and Rory came to join her.

He rubbed the back of his neck before his hands started flailing about. "Oh just a young, budding artist. Might have had a small problem with an off world issue."

"He looks grumpy," Amy said, crossing her arms and smirking. "Suppose he would be with those ears."

"Before or after you met me?" Rose asked the Doctor, fingers sliding around the ankle to the top of the sandal covered foot.

"Before 'it also travels in time.'" He replied. "Second last stop I made, I believe."

"Never seen this body so …." She didn't finish her sentence as she looked the statue over again, eyes lingering on the toga covered, but still well sculpted, backside. "Woman carved this, yeah?"

"Might've," The Doctor said, rubbing the back of his neck again. He met her eye just as the intense wave of jealous hit her heart, and grinned a bit. He knew how badly she often wished they hadn't been so foolish in those early days before he regenerated, and now she discovered another woman had gotten to see that much of him.

"He sorta looks like you." Rory said, halting any comments either she or the Doctor could have made about the origin of the sculpture. Rory squinted at it as he craned his neck up.

"Doesn't look anything like him." Amy scoffed.

"Sorta does," he said, stepping up beside Amy, pointing out the features. "Think the Doctor's nose is a little smaller, chin a little bigger, and he has more hair. But facial structures the same."

"Told ya," Rose said, smiling at the Doctor with her tongue between her teeth. "Though to be perfectly honest it's a bloody accurate copy. Tell me, Doctor, was the artist inspired?" She asked, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms, arching a brow.

"Oi, don't use my words against me. Yes, she was inspired, just not in the same way I was. See that look? Is that the look a woman infatuated would give me if that were the kind of inspired she was?"

"What are you going on about?" Amy asked, glaring at the Doctor.

He gestured loosely in the direction of Fortuna. "Rose is referring to a time I carved her liking into a goddess. But this," he said, pointing at the statue of his ninth form and moving his hand around. "This is _nothing_ like that was. Was hardly that muscular. And you can be certain I was _not_ wearing a toga."

"Can't be," Rose grinned. "Wore one when we went to Rome, didn't ya?"

"Wait, I'm confused." Rory said, turning and looking between the two of them while Amy continued to glare at the Doctor. "Sounds sorta like you're saying this is you." He said to the Doctor while pointing at the statue.

"It is me. Sorta me. Past me, back when I met Rose. Remember, Amy, when I said I had a Roman nose like Rory's once. That's the nose, and the ears, as it were. Didn't wear a toga, though, like I said to Rose. Was much more fond of denim and leather. Jacket, though, not leather pants. Haven't had an inclination to try such things and don't think I ever will." He rambled. "Let's see other things, shall we? Much more to look at than stone statues of Time Lords and their mates." He pointed toward the door on the other end of the room and moved.

Amy followed, looking at him suspiciously but not saying anything.

Rory came up to Rose as she made to follow the other two out of the room. "He's serious, isn't he? That that's him?" He asked.

"Yeah, s'him." Rose said, wringing her fingers a bit.

"So he, like, gets younger instead of older? Or …?" Rory asked as they followed the other pair into a room full of paintings. A man was discussing something to the group of tourists inspecting the pieces.

Rose laughed, not overly loud but enough to draw a few scowls from others in the room, especially their ginger companion. "Sorta." She replied to Rory with a smile, and he grinned just a bit and nodded, seeming to get that she wasn't about to discuss the topic in a room full of people.

"Rory, look!" Amy got his attention, waving him over to a painting she and the Doctor had been looking at. Rose followed even though she wasn't beckoned, and came up to stand on the other side of her husband.

He was looking at the painting quite intensely, and she had a fleeting thought about the glasses he used to wear as he squinted at a detail. Lacing her fingers with his, he whipped his head around in surprise.

"What is it?" She asked.

He looked back at the painting of a church at night. "There's a face." He said.

"A face?"

"Yes, a face, not a nice one, either. Look at the painting, Sweetheart, and tell me if you don't see evil in the window."

She stepped closer, taking in the brush strokes and the color before her. Her eyes scanned the canvas, skirting over a window before snapping back to the face clearly painted though easily missed. A chill ran down her spine, and she shuddered involuntarily.

"What?" Rory asked, Amy actually looking at her as well.

"Something very not good." The Doctor said before turning away and heading to a man dressed eerily similar to himself. "Excuse me," He interrupted, pulling out the psychic paper and flashing it. "If I can just interrupt for one second, sorry everyone, routine inspection. Ministry of Art and …."

"History." Rose offered.

"History, yes. Ministry of Art and History. Do you know when that picture of the church was painted?"

"Ah," The man perked up from the confusion that had clouded his eyes before. "What an interesting question. Most people …."

"I'm going to have to hurry you." The Doctor interrupted again.

"He's a fact checker." Rose said, stepping up beside her husband and resting her hand on his arm. "Doesn't need the long version, just the details. Wants to know if you can tell him precisely when the painting was painted."

The man looked flabbergasted, taking in her less than formal apparel before looking over the Doctor who still had the psychic paper in his hand. The man looked at it, did a double take, and flushed. "Between the first and third of June, 1890." He replied, speaking to both of them.

"Thank you, sir." The Doctor said as he flipped the billfold closed and tucked it into his inner pocket. "Nice bow tie, by the way. Bow ties are cool." He said to Rose with a wink. He then took her hand, glancing over his shoulder. "You two staying or coming?"

"Coming." Amy said decidedly as Rory looked like he may have had another decision in mind. "Where we going?" She asked as she headed toward them.

The Doctor didn't reply until the were a good distance away from the gallery, nearing the museum doors.

"We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh." He said to Amy over his shoulder as he steered them in the direction of the TARDIS a few blocks away.

"What, seriously?" Amy asked. Rose felt the Doctor lurch to a stop, and she paused to see Amy had latched on to his other arm and beamed at him with wide arms. "We're seriously going to talk to my favorite painter of all time?"

"Didn't know he was, but yes, we are. He painted that church, obviously, was in his wing of the museum. And if he painted it then he knows about the face in the window."

"Face?" Rory said. "The very not good something you noticed was a face in a window and we're going to go talk to Van Gogh about it?"

"Yes, Rory, keep up." The Doctor chided as Amy let go of his arm to bounce around in a giddy circle before following them once again. "Shouldn't be there, so we're going to go and, um, make it not there."

"Great with words, you are." Rose said as they turned the corner, the TARDIS only mere feet away.

The Doctor snapped his fingers. "Know what word I can say, though?" He asked and she shook her head, mouth twisted in an effort to not let on how amused she was. He leaned in, "Fantastic." He said in her ear, and Rose really couldn't suppress the shudder than went through her. He chuckled smugly in his chest. "New new teeth. Can't wrap my tongue around French this time, though. TARDIS is doing all the translating for me. Aren't you, you sexy thing?" He asked upon entering their ship.

The Old Girl hummed a happy little sound, and Rose giggled.

"You two aren't going on behind my back are you?" She teased, the ship humming a chuckle as the Doctor gave a little "ha" as he bolted up the ramp.

"Pretty sure at this point, Sweetheart, this is a three way commitment. You're as bonded with this ship as I am, if not more." He said as she moved much more slowly up the ramp, taking her place beside him at the controls. He beamed, green eyes bright, and she realized this was the first time she was co-piloting with him since his change.

"You two have a very interesting marriage." Rory commented dryly as he and Amy came up the ramp and each sat in a jumpseat.

"That we do!" The Doctor replied as he and Rose moved about the console in perfect sync, sending the TARDIS on her way.

The controls felt different and yet entirely familiar with the guidance of the TARDIS in her mind as the changes were once more fed to her. Rose would catch the Doctor smiling adoringly at her, the expression unchanged through three regenerations. Four if she counted the one she was with in the dream state this mysterious She had sent them to oh so long ago.

She smiled back before dropping her gaze. Rose remembered that this She had had a problem with Time Lords. And seeing as how the Doctor was the last full blooded one, it did make sense that this woman would go after him. It made Rose antsy, knowing someone was out to get him, knowing that She had already sought him out twice while Rose was unable to do anything.

" _Don't worry about it._ " She heard him in her mind, and she looked up to see him grinning a bit wider. " _Does it hurt?"_ He asked with so much hope it leaked through to her.

She stretched her mind out toward him, the ache still there but not nearly anywhere it was before. She opened her bond with him up a touch more, and he shut his eyes in ecstasy as she caressed his mind with hers.

"What's with your face?" Amy asked, and the Doctor's eyes popped open and he looked at her with a stunned expression. It was sort of adorable, especially with how his ears went red.

"Heading to the past, yeah?" Rose spoke up, saving the Doctor. "Should hit the wardrobe, blend in a bit."

"Blend in?" Amy asked, not looking at Rose but at the rotor bobbing above. "Didn't blend in when we went to see Churchill."

"Don't always, but it does help." The Doctor said, and Amy arched a brow at him. "What?"

"Why should I change? Didn't once, not a single time. Hell, went on Starship UK in my nightie."

"Amy," Rory said, getting her attention. "Maybe we should?"

"Didn't in Venice."

"We sorta did."

"We borrowed clothes and were back in our own in no time. Sorry, no, not changing." She cleared her throat, looking pointedly at the Doctor.

He met Rose's eye, cringing a bit. "She's right, they did walk around in their twenty-first century clothes. You know that there are perception filters about us that make people not notice these things. Maybe we shouldn't worry about it too much?"

Rose stared him down, watching as he began to fidget and couldn't hold eye contact too long, looking at the glass floor instead of at her or anyone. She glanced to Amy who was subtly smirking at the Time Lord.

"Fine," Rose said evenly, and the Doctor jolted at the simple word. Eyes wide, skin paler than normal, she could feel his rising panic through their bond. "Just let me change my jumper." She said with a tight smile before heading for their bedroom.

The TARDIS tried to sooth her, but it wasn't helping. There had been lots of women over the last hundred years that tried to lure the Doctor, get their way with him. Hell, she'd lost count how many attempts there'd been on her life by those who coveted what was hers. But those women never bothered her because aside from their wanting what they couldn't have there was another thing they had in common: the Doctor never paid them any mind. Oh, he'd flirted here and there, got himself into those situations with words he didn't mean that others put weight on. But Amy was different.

She wanted to like her, having heard snippets of stories the Doctor had told of their adventures while she was in the coma. She thought the woman capable, adventurous, and maybe like-minded. What she got was a woman who seemed to think she ran the show, and that was going to come to an end right quick.

Entering their bedroom, Rose stripped off her clothes. Feeling a bit inspired by seeing the sculpture of her husband's ninth body, she grabbed her black jeans, a black camisole, a blue short-sleeved jumper, and her black leather jacket. Amy could run about in her too short skirts, Rose was going to be practical.

After applying the little bit of make-up she'd still had the habit of using, Rose pulled a brush through her hair and then left the room.

The TARDIS landed with a shudder just Rose as reentered the console room, finding everyone was still exactly where they were when she left, no one seeming to have said a word since her departure. It was only then that she realized that there had been a little niggling of concern in the back of her mind that wasn't her own. She couldn't reassure him, but she did send him love. She barely knew this regeneration, didn't know how he would take being pushed completely aside so early on, so she held back her urge to growl just yet.

"Well, then." The Doctor broke the silence but not the lingering tension in the room. "Shall we see Mister Van Gogh?"

He extended his toward her, and she moved to take it. He relaxed under her touch, relief flooding their link as he guided her down the ramp.

He opened the door, and the cool night air enveloped them, making Rose thankful for her change of clothes and choice of jacket. They moved to the end of the alley, and Rose took in the simple, rustic structures that quickly became one of her favorite parts of traveling to the past. Architecture had hardly interested her a hundred years ago, but in her late forties she'd begun to have a great appreciation for it. The cobblestone walk, the high buildings with lines of clothes hanging in the narrow spaces, the arches over doors. It was all breath taking even now.

The Doctor hummed contentedly beside her, and he showed her through their bond how her eyes had lit up the moment they stepped out, and how these eyes adored it more than the last simply from having been deprived of that light for a week.

"That looks like the painting," Rory said behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to see him pointing to a cafe a short walk away.

"Probably where we'll find our painter." The Doctor agreed, tilting his head toward it before leading the way.

Outside there were three people, all dressed in black and white. A man was at one of the outdoor tables, talking and smiling with patrons, while two women cleared tables closest to them.

"Good evening," The Doctor said once they got closer, and the man paused his conversation to turn toward them with a smile. "Does the name Vincent Van Goph ring a bell?"

The man scoffed. "Don't mention that man to me," he said before heading inside.

Rose looked up, seeing the same confusion she had marring the Doctor's features. He turned to the ladies behind them as Amy walked wandered a short distance away, a book from the museum in her hand. Rory stayed where he was, just on the outskirts of the tables, hands in his vest pockets.

"Excuse me, do you know Vincent Van Gogh?" He asked the women.

"Unfortunately." One sighed, and Rose heard Amy echoing the words with disbelief. "He's a drunk, he's mad, and he never pays his bills." She continued with only a glance at Amy.

"Good painter, though, eh?" He asked conspiratorially. He was laughed at for his efforts. "Oh," He mumbled, moving for a table and flopping down ungracefully. Rose sat down beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders. Rory sauntered over, pulled out the chair opposite hers, and leaned with his elbows on the table.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to meet your heroes?" She asked the Doctor. He groaned, whining a little as he rolled his head and looked off to the side. "Had this problem with Shakespeare, ya said Dickens let ya down a bit. Sinatra was a bit too flirty, and we both know it didn't go as you hoped it would with Elvis."

"Agatha was lovely though." He countered, and Rose had to agree with him there.

"You …," Rory got their attention. "You met Agatha Christie? And Charles Dickens and … Shakespeare?"

"Yeah, used to be big on introducing companions to authors. Though you never did bring Tim to meet Mark Twain."

"No, but he did get along quite nicely with Charlotte Bronte." The Doctor said as he smiled at the memory. "Emily was keen on him, and both had suspected he might make a proposal, though I think Anne thought them both a pair of dolts. Hope he didn't leave them too heartbroken."

"Come on, come on, one painting for one drink. That's not a bad deal." The three turned toward the cafe door as the man the Doctor spoke to early walked out with a ginger man following behind. The snooty one who had something to do with the cafe held a canvas in his hand, picture toward them, and scowled at the one making the deal.

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any good." Snooty man in black and white scoffed. "I can't hang that up on my walls, it's scare the customers half to death. It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looking over the customers day and night in a stupid hat." The snooty man said as he held up a paint and compared it to ginger.

Amy, watching from the other side of the two men, was beside herself. Acting as though she'd met a modern day celebrity on accident, Rose could at least concede that her enthusiasm was perfect for one to travel with the Doctor.

"Is that who I think it is?" Rory whispered to her.

"Believe so," She replied with an upturn of her lips.

"I'll pay if you like." The Doctor said beside her, and she realized she'd missed the last bit of an exchange.

"What?" Snooty man asked with disbelief.

"Well, if you like, I'll pay for the drink. Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink." The Doctor bargained.

"Exactly who are you?" The man Rose figured to be Van Gogh asked, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously.

"I'm … new in town." He said.

" _What?"_ Rose asked him through their bond, arching a brow but making no other indication she though his answer was odd.

" _He has a thing with Doctors. I want him to trust me, or at least be willing to hear me out at first. I say I'm the Doctor he goes running and we don't find that church."_

"Well," Vincent began, "In that case you don't know three things. One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you." He said with pride despite those around him laughing. "Two, no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town."

"Oi, come on now. He just said he was new in town, not that he was staying." Rose interrupted him, and Vincent looked at her with confusion. "Maybe he likes your painting, don't need to get so defensive mate." She added with a grin, tongue sticking out between her teeth.

He seemed mildly amused. "Then he can talk to me another time, but sticking his big nose in other people's business is rude." He then turned back to the Snoot. "Come on, just one more drink, I'll pay tomorrow."

"No," Snoot replied.

"Or, on the other hand, slightly more compassionately, yes."

"Or, on the other hand, to protect my business from madmen, no."

"Or…."

"Oh, look, just shut up the pair of you!" Amy said, breaking the men up and causing both to look at her. She walked right up to the Snoot, "I would like a bottle of wine, please. Which I will then share with whomever," She turned, looking Vincent in the eye. "I choose."

"That could be good." Vincent said, looking her over once.

"Bloody hell." Rory mumbled before burying his face in his hands.

"That's good by me." The snoot agreed.

"Good." Amy nodded decisively. "Right, you lot, inside." She said glancing at the table with her gaze gliding over Rose to favor a focus on the Doctor and Rory.

Rose sighed, pushed herself up, and made to follow Rory. Poor bloke looked like he was caught between exasperated and so completely unsurprised that it was just another day.

The Doctor's hand slipped into hers, causing her to pause. She looked up in confusion, and he mirrored it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," She said with a shake of head, knowing it wasn't worth bringing Amy's behavior up at the moment.

They went inside, Amy and Vincent easy enough to spot with their ginger hair of different shades. Rory was speaking to a pair at another table, pointing to theirs as they came closer. The couple he was speaking to caught Rose's eye, raised seemed surprised, then gestured to the empty chair at their table and nodded.

"You can sit by me," Vincent said, louder than Rose was expecting. He was gesturing to the chair beside him.

"Thanks," She replied with a grin before sitting next to him. "Must say, your self portrait is pretty spectacular."

He glanced down at it, scoffed. "Spectacular in it's worthlessness, maybe."

"Don't say that," Amy chastised as the wine was placed before them with only four cups. She simply smiled at the waitress and turned her attention back to Vincent. "Bet it'd be worth a fortune."

"Couldn't even by me a drink, remember?" Vincent replied a she reached for the bottle and poured a glass. He handed it to Amy who accepted it with a twinkle in her eye, then poured another. He offered it to Rose.

"Oh, I can't." She declined with a smile. "Haven't been very well recently."

"Wine will fix what ales you." Vincent encouraged with a slight smile.

"My wife's physician said it was best she not." The Doctor intervened, waving it off before taking an empty glass.

Vincent shrugged. "Doctor's don't know everything."

"Course they don't, but why risk it? I'm the Doctor, by the way. _The_ Doctor, not _a_ Doctor, just so we're clear on the distinction. Rose, of course, and that's Amy and Rory." He introduced.

Rory waved, but Vincent hadn't noticed. He was staring at Amy, eyes fixed on her as he sipped from the cup he had previously offered Rose.

As the painter stared, the Doctor took the wine and filled a cup. He slid it down to Rory, managing to slosh about half on the table and cringing as it was quickly absorbed by the unfinished wood. He then took the last cup, poured, sipped, and grimaced.

Well that changed again. Wine had been pretty much like water to his last regeneration, especially French wine.

"That accent of yours," Vincent finally spoke, looking to Amy. "You from Holland like me?"

"Umm," She glanced to the Doctor, and he gave a very tiny nod. "Yes?" She replied.

Vincent grunted, took a sip from his wine. "Your hair is orange." He said as he leaned to across the table.

"Yes. So's yours." Amy replied, leaning in as well.

"Yes." Vincent agreed. "It was more orange, but now is, of course, less."

"And someone's is decidedly not." Rose murmured with a smirk, looking down at the table before chancing a glance at the Doctor.

He pouted, "Suppose you'd have liked if I were?"

"Doesn't really matter." She countered.

"Good. Think the brown is because you like it so much. But enough about hair, and colors, and not being ginger. Vincent, I was wondering if you've painted any churches recently. Any church plans? Are churches, chapels, religiousy stuff like that something you're like to get into? Preferably fairly soon?"

"Well, there is one church I'm thinking of painting when the weather is right." He agreed, downing the rest of his drink.

"That is very good news," The Doctor said with a growing grin, rubbing his hands together. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but a scream outside interrupted him, shouting about murder. "That, on the other hand, isn't quite such good news." He said before he got up in time with Rose and ran for the door.

Outside, they glanced around, noted the flow of the crowd, and took off at a run. They turned into the alley and stopped, the Doctor skidding with arms flailing.

"What happened?" Rose asked the nearest towns person who simply shrugged.

"Let me look, I'm a doctor." Her husband asked, parting the sea of people to get a closer look at the body. She crept closer, noting the blood pooling over the cobblestone, the way the woman's torso was ripped to shreds like her flesh was nothing more than the fabric that had covered it.

Ages ago, Rose had been mauled. They'd stumbled across a young family out in the woods of New Earth, and while trying to recreate old Earth camping traditions from the twentieth century they had attracted a very aggressive looking animal. The details were fuzzy, death having mingled with sixty-year-old memories, but Rose had thrown herself in between a little girl and a bear/wolf/something creature. It was nearly as painful as an explosion, and she knew her injuries weren't nearly as extensive as the ones that resulted in the death of the poor girl laying before her. Rory darted past, kneeling opposite of the Doctor.

"I can't find a pulse." He said.

"Optimistic of you to try." The Doctor replied as Vincent came up behind him, looking over the body.

"Away, all of you vultures!" A woman shouted behind her, and Rose turned in time to see her push through the crowd. "This is my daughter, Giselle." She knelt by her daughter's head, caressing her cheek. "Get away from her," She snapped at the Doctor, then to Rory.

"Okay," He said gently, standing, showing his hands as he backed off and toward Rose. Rory and Vincent did the same, but when the woman caught sight of the ginger man, grief was gone and replaced by utter hatred.

"Get that madman out of here!" She growled searching the ground for something before grabbing a stone and hurling it toward them. It caught Vincent on the arm.

"Get by the Doctor." Rose snapped as the rest of the crowd started to grumble, and she saw more than one hand search the ground for a stone to throw.

The next one hit her in the chest, a follow up on the arm, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the Doctor, Rory, and Vincent were moving out of the alley. Amy was at the other end, and Rory quickly moved to shield her despite her shifting to try and get to the Vincent and the Doctor.

"Move!" Rose snapped, and Rory gave Amy a gentle nudge before she shifted. The Doctor gave a slight shove to Vincent before grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her along just as a stone hit her in the head. "Bloody hell!" She cursed as the ran a slight way down the road and away from the alley.

The Doctor moved to Vincent, checking on him.

"You alright?" Rory asked, letting go of Amy and coming over to examine Rose's head. "I'm a nurse, it's alright." He said as she arched a brow at him. His automatic response made her smirk, and she allowed him to examine the spot where the stone hit just shy of her temple. His touch seemed oddly familiar in a way she couldn't place, but he didn't let his fingers linger long enough for her to determine why. "Should be fine, I think."

"Tougher than I look anyway," She grinned.

"Has anything like this murder happened here before?" The Doctor asked Vincent.

"Only a week ago. It's a terrible time." Vincent replied.

"As I thought, as I thought. Come on, we'd better get you home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Vincent asked, glancing first to Amy, then to Rose.

"Oh, you're very kind." The Doctor said as he clapped Vincent on the shoulder and started walking down the alley. "Sweetheart?" He paused a few feet down, turning to look at her.

"It won't be a terrible imposition, I hope." Rose said to Vincent, loosely holding his fingers. "He doesn't sleep, and I can nearly guarantee that I won't. Sorta just woke up from an … extended rest of sorts. Just would like shelter for our companions."

Vincent glanced at Amy.

" _We need to stay with him until he paints the church."_ The Doctor's voice filled her mind, and she smiled a bit brighter.

"Alright, you lot can stay for _one_ night." Vincent replied. Smiling, Rose pecked his cheek, catching him off guard.

"Thank you," She said before letting go of his hand and moving to stand with the Doctor.

"Lead the way," He said to the painter who nodded and moved ahead of him.

Vincent lead them through a maze of cottages where lines hung just over head to dry clothes. At least, that was their purpose, but Rose had noted a line in the distance that seemed to have papers hung on them instead. The closer they got the more she realized they were canvas, and it was quite obvious that this small cottage on the outskirts with a larger garden than most was Vincent's.

"Watch out," he warned as they got closer and he lit a lamp. "That one's still wet."

"What?" Amy said behind them, but Rose followed the Doctor and Vincent inside before she could hear what Rory was saying.

Inside, the entire cottage was like a small, humble exhibit. Paintings in various stages filled the space, put on display in their current states for no one but the artist to admire. It was in this space that Rose felt lacking. Architecture was a new found love but she still couldn't truly appreciate Art the way the Doctor, and apparently Amy, could. As she looked around, she could see the love and care that was put into each piece, but she could not truly pass judgment on their quality.

"Sorry about the clutter," Vincent said as he went about lighting lamps.

"Some clutter." The Doctor marveled, and Rose suspected that she was going to find an original Van Gogh piece hanging in the library when this was all over with.

"I've come to accept the only person who's going to love my paintings is me." He said as if he hadn't heard the Doctor.

"Don't know about that," Rose said as she watched her husband marvel at a piece that looked familiar but not yet finished. "Have at least two people here who appreciate what they're seeing."

"Wow," Amy said as if on cue, stepping into the house with a wide-eyed Rory behind her. "I mean really, wow."

"Yeah, I know it's a mess. I'll have a proper clear out. I must, I really must." Vincent said as he looked around the room like he didn't quite believe what Rose had said.

"Just need a better system to store your incomplete pieces, is all." Rory said, making to touch one and seeming to think better of it at the last moment. "Way to hang them out of the way or something."

"Perhaps," Vincent said as he removed his hat and looked to the floor. His eyes shifted up and around at the space, but instead of being thoughtful like Rose expected she noted the utter sadness behind them. Her heart clenched, and she felt a lump in her throat when she realized how little this man thought of himself. Vincent suddenly stood straighter, blinked, then looked around at his guests. "Coffee, anyone?" He asked as he moved into the small kitchen.

"Not for me, actually." The Doctor replied as he looked around.

"I'll have a go." Rose said with a smile, putting as much enthusiasm as she could for coffee behind it. It brightened the painters features just a bit as he went about making a pot. "Here, hold this a mo' while you're doing that." She said as she plucked up a painting of a basket of oranges before Vincent could set the pot down on it.

He snorted. "Didn't need to bother."

"Think I did." She said, holding the painting away from her for her inspection. "'S lovely. Not much for art, me, but I can tell ya this much: you paint colors so beautifully."

He grinned a bit wider, but his eyes didn't brighten any more.

"Right, so, this church. Near here, is it?" The Doctor asked from the doorway, and past him Rose could see Amy running her fingers lightly over paintings in the sitting room.

Vincent carried the pot and a couple of cups into the sitting room, and Rose followed. Setting them down on a table as Vincent glanced at Amy before looking to the Doctor.

"What is it with you and the church?" He asked as he started collecting firewood.

"Oh, just casually interested in it, you know?" The Doctor replied, hands moving about as if they had a mind of their own.

"Far from casual." Vincent replied as he stacked the logs in the fireplace. "Seems to me you never talk about anything else." He looked over his shoulder to Rose. "He's a strange one."

"Bit, yeah," She replied to Vincent, sending the affronted Doctor a wink when the painter went to light the fire.

" _Oi, not nice._ "

" _You licked things for over a hundred years."_ She reminded him.

He shook his head and looked to Vincent who brushed his hands on his knees as he watched the fire catch. "Okay, let's talk about you." The Doctor said out loud. "What are you interested in, Vincent?"

Vincent got to his feet, gesturing around his humble home. "Look around: Art. It seems to me there's so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see." He said as Amy slipped quietly out into the garden.

Rose looked to Rory, seeing he had his arms crossed and seemed torn between staying and going. Leaving the Doctor and Vincent to their conversation for a moment, Rose went up to their companion, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What's troubling you?"

"Never thought I'd feel like a fifth wheel to a married couple, a painter, and _my_ fiancee." He snorted.

"Have you talked to Amy? Maybe she doesn't realize …."

"Did he tell you? What she did?" Rory asked in a quiet whisper. Rose nodded. "She realizes, I just … I thought maybe after Venice things would be better, but…."

"Talk to her." Rose encouraged. "Seriously. She doesn't bother me." Rory tilted his head, and she grinned. "Okay, bothers me a bit. But I know my marriage is good. Yours hasn't even started, yeah? So go find out how you can fix it."

"Right, yes, right." Rory nodded, turning and heading out the door of the cottage.

She glanced at the Doctor who had been watching them instead of Vincent as the painter spoke of his passion while hanging the pot of coffee over the fire.

" _Time lines?_ " She asked him.

" _Still shaky, but not worse. Not yet."_ He replied , turning to Vincent just as the painter spun to face him.

Rose quietly took a seat, half listening to the conversation, hoping she hadn't made things worse somehow.

* * *

 

Amy wanted to stay inside with Vincent, but the lure of seeing his paintings were a bit stronger at the moment. And besides, she was mildly hoping the Doctor would notice she left, follow her out to make sure she was alright, and then maybe they might be able to have a quiet talk about his wife.

Rose was, to Amy's great surprise, a bit snobbish. Was the TARDIS strictly hers? Could she not share? And what was with all the judging looks and hints of … something Rose gave the Doctor once in a while? She acted like he was acting weird and different and all together not what she was expecting. How much did she suppress him during their marriage? And now she was being all flirty with Van Gogh right in front of her husband of a hundred years without a care in the world. She was all bottled blonde, lower class London thinking she was better than everyone else, and Amy wasn't going to stand for it. Rose was hardly in charge, and Amy was going to prove it.

So when she heard the door to the cottage open she smiled to herself as she looked at the drying paintings. "Wondering how long it would be until you followed me out."

"Well," Rory said, causing her to stiffen in surprise. "Van Gogh and the Doctor were pretty deep in conversation, and I suspect that Rose was interested in quietly observing."

Amy scoffed, crossed her arms and turned to face Rory who stood a few feet away with his hands in his pockets. "Quietly? More like criticizing."

Rory frowned. "Wouldn't saw that. She seems to just be taking it all in, asking questions where she needs to."

"Not telling the Doctor to keep quiet, has she?" Amy smirked. "Kinda surprised, controlling harpy that she is."

Rory just looked a bit more confused. It was sort of adorable in an odd kind of way. "Why is she a controlling harpy, as you say?" He asked with exasperation.

"Telling us we need to go change?"

"She's been traveling longer than we have, maybe the normal is to change for new places."

"Yeah, well, maybe the norm should change, yeah?"

"Why do you really have a problem with her? She's been nothing but nice." He stepped toward her when she snorted and shook her head. "Amy think about it: she woke up from a coma to two strangers in her home. She's bouncing back pretty quick, all things considered, and you've been giving her the cold shoulder since we properly met her."

"She acts like she runs the place."

"I say, again, it's her home."

"Acts like the Doctor is weird and she doesn't like it."

"I have a feeling she's just getting to know him again." Rory said as if he knew something she didn't, which only made things worse.

"She's in there flirting with Vincent right in front of her husband after he pined for her for days, and by the sounds of things she's been chatting you up. Didn't think you'd be one to get suckered in by too much make up and a bad dye job." She huffed, looking Rory over.

He stared at her, gaped for a brief second before shaking his head and looking to the sky. "You're jealous." He stated.

"Of a chav? Hardly."

"No, you are." He said, whipping around pointing at her accusingly. "I know you, Amy, we grew up together. I know you nearly as well as I know myself. You're jealous. Not of her, but of what she has. You had the Doctor's full attention, you'd have had Van Gogh's full attention, and hell, maybe if it were still worth something you'd have had mine if she wasn't here. You're jealous that you aren't the center of attention anymore. Have you not seen him since she woke up?"

"Yeah, I have. Doesn't seem quite so, I dunno, carefree as he did before." She shouted back.

"You think that's what he was before? Didn't see that maybe he was hurting before at all? The Doctor's barely been able to leave her side for a moment, and you think that's because she's making him stay there? Amy, that's how I am with you." He paused, turning away. "Or was. Until you decided that maybe you didn't want me there."

"Don't be stupid, of course I want you around." She huffed, wondering when this became about them and not the horrible harpy the Doctor married.

Rory laughed with out mirth. "No, pretty sure I could be wiped from existence and you wouldn't even notice."

"I … would," She said, an uncomfortable sensation creeping up her spine.

"No, you wouldn't." He said. "I love you, so much. Have since we were kids and you know it. But I think you settled for me, because I was better than Jeff, or Charles, or anyone else that you could have had. You knew I would follow you anywhere, and I've already proved that I would. But I think if I was to go home you wouldn't come with me."

She felt the tear roll down her cheek before she realized how badly his words stung. Rory didn't say things to hurt, Rory was steadfastly loyal and always in her corner. So why was he not this time?

Something pushed her, and she stumbled forward. Seemingly without thought, Rory dove and grabbed her, holding her to him as they looked around. The paintings ruffled, but not all of them, not like they would have if it were the wind.

She felt the impact as her and Rory were knocked on to their sides, still holding on to each other as they hit the ground. When a nearby bucket launched a distance away like someone kicked it, she let out a scream.


	10. Vincent and the Doctor pt 2

It had been lovely, just the three of them for a little bit. Rose listened to Vincent tell them how he saw the world and was mesmerized. Even if he was coming off as a bit over zealous and pretty eccentric, there was something beautiful in the way he spoke.

It was hearing Amy scream that pulled all three of them out of the cozy bubble of over eager talks on Art and had them running out to the back garden.

"Amy! Rory!" The Doctor called and ran toward the couple that were on the ground, frantically looking around them. "What happened?" He asked them, offering his hand to Rory to get him on his feet. Once settled, both men helped Amy up.

"We were talking when something hit me from behind." Amy replied as she pulled at her skirt, trying to smooth it back out.

Rose listened, hearing something off but unsure how. She looked over at Vincent who turned his head about frantically. She moved toward the others, keeping her eyes on Vincent as she moved.

"It's okay," The Doctor tried to reassure. "It's gone, we're here."

"'S not gone." Rose shook her head, her skin crawling as she noted Vincent raising his hands, his eyes going wide with terror. "Stay behind me. Feel like something coming at you from behind, put me in front of you." She said as she shucked her jacket, handing it to the Doctor.

"Oi, who are you to tell us what to do?" Amy demanded in a shaky voice.

"Just listen to her, Pond." The Doctor partly snapped behind her. "Rose, what's going on, what are you seeing or sensing?"

"Dunno," She said as Vincent started backing away.

"No!" The artist cried out, backing toward a pitchfork.

Rose grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked, voice cracking.

She handed him her short sleeved jumper. "Have a feeling it'd be a little ruined in a moment." She said with a huff. He caught her eye, his gaze firmly on hers, and nodded once.

"Why's she stripping?" Amy growled.

Vincent grabbed the wooden pitchfork, and Rose thought she heard something that sounded a bit like a bird. There was an odd smell in the air, too. Like feathers.

"What's he doing?" Amy asked as Vincent started to come toward them, brandishing the gardening took like a weapon.

"I don't know what he's doing." The Doctor said, ignoring Amy's first question.

A beat later, Vincent started to charge at them with a determined look on his face. "Run!" He shouted at them.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea." The Doctor said. "Amy, Rory, get back. He's having some kind of fit."

"I'm a nurse, I can help," Rory protested.

"All three of you, move, now!" Rose yelled over her shoulder, glimpsing Amy about ready to argue.

"Right, yes, let's do as she says." The Doctor said, turning to the couple and herding them out of the way.

"Oi, just gonna let her boss ya around like that?" Amy asked as he shoved at her.

"As a matter of fact, yes." The Doctor replied, giving her and Rory a good shove.

"Look out!" Vincent called out, and just as the Doctor turned to him, something knocked him into the air and to the ground.

"Doctor!" Rose cried out, charging toward him. The burning pain of her flesh being torn seized her up, halting her progress. Silently crying out in agony, her eyes screwed closed and tears burned. She heard the Doctor vocalize the pain, and frantically cut off their bond.

He huffed, breathed heavy a few times, caught her just before she fell. "I got you." He said.

"Not dying, just hurt." She panted out quickly. She pushed off of him, turning to put herself between him and Vincent as the painter lunged at thin air with his pitchfork. The sickening, wet sound of flesh behind stabbed hit Rose's ears, the air heavy with the sent of iron. There was a noise, faint, like a growl, and then a makeshift scarecrow was knocked over. Bushes in the wooded area seemed compressed, and then Rose sensed that what ever danger was there before had gone.

The pain from her wounds overwhelmed her, weakness from having not been awake that long mixing with it caused her to collapse on her knees.

"Rose?" The Doctor knelt beside her, brushed her hair away from her face and over her other shoulder.

"I'll be okay." She nodded.

"You're a brave woman, standing up to that you can not see. Supposed to be a husband's job to protect his wife." She heard Vincent closer than he'd been before.

She laughed, craning her neck to look up at him. "Bit different, us."

"Can see that." He said, tossing the pitchfork aside and offering his hand to Rose. She took it, and with the Doctor holding on to her waist, she got off the ground and unsteadily to her legs. As her husband retrieved her jumper and jacket, Rory ran over and stood behind her.

"Not bleeding." He noted. "We're going to have to stitch you up, though."

"We'll take care of that inside," The Doctor said, taking one of Rose's arms and looping it over his shoulder. He guided her across the garden, past Amy who stood shocked by the door, and inside to a chair.

After getting her seated backward on the chair, her arms wrapped around the back rest, he set her clothes on the table. The Doctor then reached into his pocket and pulled out … something.

Rose watched as he flicked a dial a couple of times, then pressed a button. The little gold claws opened, a green light shone, and then … the hum. As he moved to hover it over her back, she caught his hand and studied the item in it.

"New screwdriver," She said, chest tightening. It was such a silly thing to get upset about. She handled the new him, the new TARDIS, but the screwdriver was going to throw her for a loop?

"Yes." The Doctor said, looking at it like he hadn't even thought anything of the change. "Last one shorted out, covered in alien goo, completely ruined. Had to make a new one."

"Have had to make new ones before." She reminded him, looking from the green diode of the sonic to the green eyes of the Doctor.

"Rose?" He frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," She shook her head, averting her eyes and running her fingers over the shaft of the new sonic. "'S just that I liked the old one."

"Not the only thing you liked the old version better than, is it?" He asked quietly.

She smirked, chuckling, reopening the bond sending him affection over it. "Don't be daft. 'S just everything changed since I was last awake, didn't expect the sonic to be one of them."

He grinned, turned it back on, and shifted behind her. His fingers gently caressed the untorn skin exposed by the rips in her camisole, and she felt a tingle where his touch lingered.

"Don't need to repair, it's already doing that on its own." He murmured, running the sonic over her back anyway. "Going to see if I can't get a reading on what sort of creature we're dealing with." He said as his hand wandered to the more exposed flesh of her upper back. His fingers curled around her shoulder, caressing, hints of longing coming through their bond. Rose caught an image in his mind before it was tucked away of him bending down to kiss her shoulder and neck. She could almost feel his lips on his skin, phantom sensations from decades of experience lingered where it shouldn't.

"So what exactly happened out there?" Rory asked, snapping her out of her daze and getting her to look at him. He was more focused on the Doctor, glancing back at Vincent as he and Amy came inside.

"We were attacked by the creature," The painter said plainly.

"Yes, but by something only you can see. What did he look like?" The Doctor asked, giving Rose's shoulder a quick squeeze before stepping away toward Vincent.

"I'll show you." He said, looking around quickly and grabbing a painting. Rose sucked her lips in her mouth and bit down as she watched the painter grab a broad brush, dunk it in white, and smeared it over a gorgeous painting of irises.

"Oh, no!" The Doctor grimaced as Amy gasped and Rory's eye brows shot up into his hairline.

"What?" Vincent asked, looking unperturbed if not a bit confused.

"It's just … that was quite good." He sighed, waving a hand at Vincent. "On you go."

As Vincent shrugged and fanned the canvas with broad swings of his arms, Rory came around and stood behind her.

Rose watched him over her shoulder, seeing the curious fascination as his fingers reached for but only hovered over her back. He knelt down beside her, examining her.

"He said you were mostly human," He said quietly, just loud enough for her to know he wasn't merely speaking to himself but still making sure Amy and Vincent wouldn't hear.

"I'm a bit … modified." She said in the same volume.

"Quick healer?"

"Among other things." She shrugged.

Rory nodded, simply accepting this.

"Okay, okay," The Doctor said, and they both turned toward the Time Lord to see Vincent handing him a canvas. "Right, Amy, Rory, stay here with Mister Van Gogh, rest, make sure no invisible monsters make it through the front door."

"And what are you doing?" Amy asked, crossing her arms and glaring.

"Rose and I are going back to the TARDIS a moment." He said, and Rose grabbed her jumper and pulled it on.

"Well then I'm coming with you." Amy said firmly.

"No, you're not. It's dangerous out there. Here you're safe, safe as you can be, and here's where you'll stay."

"Someone's gotta look after you."

"Which is why I'm going." Rose said as she shrugged on her jacket. Amy glared at her. "I'm going to be there to make sure he's alright."

"Did a bang up job of it earlier." Amy countered.

Rose laughed in her chest, shaking her head. "Been looking after him for hundreds of years, mate. Pretty sure I can do it a helluva lot better than you."

"She's right, I'd have been dead thousands of times over if it weren't for Rose, maybe more." The Doctor said in a clear attempt to break the tension and failing as Amy insisted in trying to intimidate Rose. "Anyway, we'll be back. No worries, don't wait up. Or do, what ever tickles your fancy. Something I won't say again, that." He tensed, looked around the room, then headed for the door.

Rose turned to Vincent. "We'll be back in no time." She said kindly, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze, tossing a smile of the same nature over her shoulder to Rory, then walked past Amy without looking at her.

They walked to the TARDIS hand in hand, quiet the whole way, constantly checking over their shoulders for something they couldn't see. She didn't snap her fingers until they were practically at the door step, and then they stepped inside quickly and closed the door the moment they could.

Rose moved up the ramp to the console more out of habit, stopping beside the controls and turning to her husband. "So what's the plan?" She asked, smiling as he smirked at her. She probed their bond, finding he closed it off. "Doctor?"

He set the sketch Vincent gave him on the floor then walked up the ramp slowly, shrugging off his jacket, putting it on a rail as he came toward her. She took him in, realizing he hadn't seen him with his jacket off for a moment before now.

He really wasn't nearly as lean as he was before. His shoulders and chest were much broader, his shirt seemed a bit snug, like he was still dressing with his old body in mind. When he was close enough, Rose reached out and ran her hands up his bracers, looping her arms around his neck when her palms hit his shoulders. His hands came to her hips, curling around them, sliding to the back. A second later he hoisted her up on the console.

"What are you up to?" She asked with a laugh, seeing the dark look she was all too familiar with changing his eyes to an emerald shade as his mouth curled into a wicked grin. "Invisible monster out there, yeah?"

"Course there is, very important that monster. Not nearly as important, however, as making up for not giving you a proper goodbye to my last body. Not the same, I know, but still important to show you that I still love you just as much. Perhaps more this go around because I was forced to live with out you."

"For a week," She teased.

"Yes, a week. A week without your smile, or your laugh, or even you yelling at me. A week, Rose Tyler, is too long to go without you and I need to take a moment, or a few, to make up for lost time."

"Rory and Amy are still out there." She reminded him as he leaned forward until their noses brushed.

"Yes, out there, safe with Vincent, and away from here. No interruptions," He said, low and seductive, and she found she liked how this voice implied things to come. Not like his last body where it was a dark tease from a lover, this was a promise from a partner.

He took his hands off her hips, gliding his fingers lightly up her sides before sliding under her jacket and pushing it off. When her arms were free, she reached up and pushed the bracers off his shoulders. As he looped his arms out of them, her fingers threaded through his hair.

"Lot different." She murmured as he closed his eyes. "Yet the same."

"Regenerated with you on my mind again. Likely will for the rest of my lives. Never be that different than what you're used to."

"Well," She said with a cheeky grin, trailing her hands down his neck, sliding over his chest, resting at the fastener of his trousers. "We'll have to see about that, won't we?"

He shook his head, leaning in and kissing her firmly. As his lips touched hers, he opened their bond, and it wasn't long after that the thought he had about he and her in the console room was being made reality.

* * *

 

It was taking entirely too long for them to come back, in Amy's opinion. Vincent had fallen asleep not long after they'd left, setting up a make shift cot for her and Rory before he passed out. She was laying on one, ignoring the straw poking at her legs and staring at the ceiling. Straining to hear anything at all, she debated for at least the seventh time whether or not she should go out and find the Doctor. Well, Rose too, she supposed, if she had to.

Bolting up, she was resolute in going after him.

"Selfish." She heard Rory say, and she looked down to see he hadn't been asleep beside her like she supposed he was. He turned, met her eye, but had no discernible expression. When she frowned at him, he added, "Maybe they want some time alone?"

Amy snorted. "Bet miss strip tease would want that, wouldn't she?"

Rory pushed himself up, frowning. "Yeah, that did seem weird. Though I think she did it to save her clothes."

"What?" Amy asked, shaking her head.

Rory simply shrugged. "Well, she healed really fast. Her back was scabbed over just before she and the Doctor left. Suppose she probably knew that she could, I dunno, endure the attack better than most and just didn't want to see her jacket destroyed. I imagine it's more comfortable to walk around with mostly intact clothing."

"Whatever," Amy rolled her eyes, though she had to admit that the leather jacket was pretty cute and it would have been a shame to see it destroyed.

She looked to the door, wondering once more what was taking them so long.

"Just leave them be, Amy." Rory said once more.

She shot him a glare before getting to her feet and marching out the door.

* * *

 

"I knew it was here somewhere!" The Doctor called triumphantly from the corridor as Rose lounged in the jumpseat and nursed a cup of tea. She smiled from behind the mug, still feeling blissfully relaxed and completely connected to her husband. She'd felt his joy and triumph just moments before, but she still imagined he wanted to do a big reveal of what ever it was he was trying to find.

He walked up from under the console where he kept some of their miscellaneous storage items holding some sort of wonky device with what looked like a car mirror attached to it. The Doctor himself still looked a bit disheveled, though he didn't dig for very long. It was just that their hasty redressing as they realized time was getting away from them meant his bracers were still hanging at his sides, his shirt barely tucked in properly, and his bow tie was still sitting on the console where it had been tossed aside. His hair was much more side swept now as Rose made an effort to keep it out of his eyes and out of her own face.

When he caught her eye, he grinned devilishly, a touch of smugness to it, but she could feel his own bliss bubbling below the surface.

It had been many years since they last made love with laughter and play in the mix. He was so clumsy in this body that his balance was poor and well … it was probably a good thing there were more jumpseats this time around. And that the floor wasn't grating, because while her elbow still ached from colliding with it, it could have been worse. She teased, and he took every bit of it on the chin and dished out just as well. Exploring the new him was less lustful and more adoring. They'd forgotten that they couldn't just get lost in themselves, and the Doctor sheepishly had admitted that there was a reason he returned to the TARDIS other than for the two of them to reacquaint.

She watched him now as he set up the device and plugged it into the controls. He smiled at her over his shoulder than looked at the mirror and stuck out his tongue.

Rose laughed. "Need to do that?"

"Works best," He replied, catching her eye in the mirror and winking. A couple of dings sounded from the typewriter, and Rose got up to see it printing out images of him. Past hims. _Really_ past hims.

She smiled fondly at the faces as they came off one after another.

"You look at those as if you know them." He commented as he came up beside her.

She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm your wife. I do know them, yeah?"

"Yes, but you don't _know_ them. Not really, not properly. You've never met any of them." He said as the image of his fifth self came off.

"Would they have loved me, too?" She asked, and he looked offended. "I know 's all you," She amended, giving him a light jab in the ribs. "But you change, yeah? I know you've been different each time so just, I dunno." She reached for the top of the long print out, showing him his first self. "Would you have loved me in this body?"

"Would you have loved _me_?" He countered, taking the sheet from her. "I mean, this me, this one likely would have banished the notion. Still quite Time Lord-y, less rebellious. Stealing the TARDIS, running away with Susan, really as bad as I got. But I didn't understand why she'd want to live with a human, marry one, so I doubt I would have allowed myself to do the same. That, and of course I was still technically in a marriage on Gallifrey. Same goes with the next one, I suppose, but this one." He said as he passed the second and moved to the third. "I was banished from Gallifrey for the first time in this body, exiled to Earth. All ties to Gallifrey were severed, so my union contract with my children's mother would have ended. I was also much more fond of humans, having been stuck on Earth for so long. If you had walked into my life at this point, Rose Tyler, I would have had a hard time keeping my own rules. And that would have been an issue all the way through to," he shifted the paper rapidly through his hands until he stopped at his eighth self. "I broke my own rules on an impulse in his body. If I had met you I would have tossed them out the window in an instant."

She simply hummed in agreement. They didn't talk about it often, and with the thoughts of this "She" lingering in the back of her mind, Rose didn't want to mention the dream state they were in where he was his eighth self.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the Doctor. "So what is that, exactly?" She asked, pointing to the device.

He beamed. "No idea."

"No?" She countered with a grin.

"Well, I know how it works, of course, obviously, but I don't know what it's called. Was a gift from a strange godmother with bad breath. Sorta just shoved it aside, doubting I'd have ever needed to use it, but here we are, and I'm in need. So, now that it's been calibrated. No, wait, hold on." He took her by the upper arms and guided her in front of the mirror. She giggled in spite of her self. It lasted until her species came up as "Bad Wolf."

"Well that's interesting." He said over her shoulder, resting his head beside hers as the planet and time of origin did come up correctly. "It doesn't consider you human. But you are, totally human. Nearly human, mostly human."

"Modified." Rose said. "'S what we've been calling it, yeah? Maybe when I created myself, I _created_ myself. Gave myself a new classification in the Universe to explain away my immortality."

"Perhaps," He shrugged. "Well, it's calibrated. I trust it's calibrated, it has to be. So lets see what it can tell us about our beastie friend." He said before darting off to collect the sketch from the end of the ramp.

He brought it over and held it in front of the mirror. The machine suggested a parrot, then it suggested a polar bear, followed immediately by an iguana.

The Doctor sighed. "This is the problem with the impressionists, not accurate enough. This would never happen with Gainsborough, or one of those proper painters."

"Insulting professions, now?" Rose teased.

"Well it's not like it's a problem with all humans now, is it?"

"And I do so _love_ when you mock my species."

"According to this, you're not a human." He countered, eyes dancing while his face set in irritation.

"Gonna stick to calling myself one, though." She said as he took the device off the console and pulled a retractable harness from it. "What're you doing?"

He looked down a the device then back to her. "Going to wear it outside, see if I can get a glimpse of our beastie that way."

"Might wanna be properly dressed first, yeah?" She arched a brow, and he looked down at his hanging bracers and untucked shirt.

"Right, yes." He said, placing the device on the nearest jumpseat and went about putting himself together. Rose snatched his bow tie from the console, walking over and draping it around his neck. He paused in his tucking, watching her intently as she went about tying the fabric. She wasn't entirely sure she knew what she was doing, but her brain had been running ahead of her conscious thought, sending signals to her hands and making them deftly tie the fabric in a perfect bow. She straightened it, gave the knot a little pat, and smiled up at him.

Her throat tightened at the reverence in his gaze. After one final tuck, the Doctor reached up and cupped her face with both hands, placing a firm, brief kiss on her lips. "You can't possibly know how much I ached for you to do that."

"Tie your bow tie."

"Yes, tie my bow tie."

"Domestic, much?" She teased, but he didn't laugh.

"Domestic, yes, but we have been, haven't we? May not be the house with the picket fence type, but we are. Married with a daughter, I braid your hair, you tied my ties, we have tea with friends on Sundays and have long, quiet moments in the Vortex that may as well be Saturdays. You have completely domesticated me, Rose Tyler, and yet you haven't. And you know what? I wouldn't change a thing." He said with absolute sincerity.

She got on her toes and kissed his nose. "Good," She said. "Now, let's go find out what our beastie is, yeah?"

He nodded, warm grin still in place as he finished tucking in his shirt. He then strapped the device on positioning it so the mirror was pointing over his shoulder. Rose grabbed his jacket and helped him in it before picking hers up off the floor and shrugging it on. This time when he nodded at her, it a was much more serious. That familiar look of determination snapped into place in an oddly comforting way, and she steeled herself as she followed him out the door.

The brightening sky gave Rose pause, her surprise not only hers.

"Apparently we were in there longer than I anticipated." He said as he looked around.

"Well I did need to be thorough in my inspection," Rose deadpanned, earning smirk from her husband.

"Yes, well, perhaps you can ponder on the results of that inspection later. Stay to my right, out of the mirror."

She nodded, managing to keep the smile threatening to break through from coming out. The Doctor took a couple steps forward, then stopped.

"Whoa, there you are, you poor thing." He cooed. "You brutal, murderous, abandoned thing. Oh, Sweetheart, it's a rarity we have here." He said, glancing at the print out. Hairs on the back of Rose's neck began to rise, and she caught a glimpse of something grotesque in the mirror.

"I think we should run, yeah?" She asked, giving him a gentle nudge.

He glanced at the mirror and Rose could see his eyes widen in the reflection. The Doctor reached back, grabbed her hand, and pulled her along as he took off at a run.

Making sure to keep him ahead of her, she dropped her hand and started knocking things over as they ran. He did as well, everything from bicycles to barrels of produce. Occasionally, Rose would have to jump over a tumbled piece of fruit or avoid stepping on a plate, but the sight of the thing in the mirror, the strange lizard-bird thing, kept her running from seemingly nothing.

The Doctor reached back and grabbed her hand once more before pulling her around the corner. He wrapped his arm around her, muffling her breath in his tweed jacket as she felt him not breathe at all. His fingers dug into her painfully, his hearts pounding in his shaking frame while the fear trickled through their bond.

Feeling him shift, she held her breath and raised her head, catching a glimpse of ginger hair around the corner.

"What the sodden hell are you doing?" She snapped at Amy before she properly rounded the corner, causing her to jump.

"Could ask you the same question," She snapped back, crossing her arms and looking over Rose's shorter form as if sizing her up.

"We were being chased by a creature intent on killing us, a creature who was in just in the alley you're in now. Reason we tell you to stay where it's safe, ya thick …."

"Okay, Sweetheart, I think Amy gets it. No need to insult." The Doctor said behind her, though she didn't pull her eyes away from Amy's. She noted the twitch of a smirk on Amy's lips that barely made an appearance before she focused entirely on the Doctor. "Now, Pond, why did you come after us? You knew it wasn't safe, and we asked, kindly, to stay with Vincent and Rory. Where is Rory, by the way?"

Amy snorted, "Stayed at the cottage. He may have been able to deal with Vincent Van Gogh's snoring, but I couldn't. So what have you been up to all this time?" She asked as the Doctor and Rose started to head toward the cottage, Amy following.

The Doctor's ears turned red, and Rose caught how he recalled their time spent together in pretty clear detail.

"Searching for a thing. This thing, actually. A thing that was given to me and helped me identify our wonderful, deadly creature which could not be seen by the naked eye. Well, can be seen by Vincent's naked eye, of course, but I don't believe he sees things quite the same way we do. More than just an impressionist thing, it's just sorta how his mind works."

"Right." Amy said. "So it took you five hours to find that … thing?" She asked, gesturing to the gizmo strapped to the Doctor's chest.

"Well, no, took me about thirty minutes, maybe forty." The Doctor replied.

"Then what was with the other four and a half hours?" Amy challenged.

"Umm," His ears turned red. "You see, the intention was just to get the thing, but then, well, I hadn't been alone with Rose since she woke up."

"Right." Amy said. "Well, while you two shagged for four and a half hours, apparently, we've been waiting. And not so patient, mind. Kind of rude to leave us there to do what you were doing." She said more to Rose than to the Doctor.

She took a deep breath, pushed herself to be calm, felt the Doctor trying to calm her as well, but she glared daggers in the back of the ginger's head. It had been a very long time since she'd felt animosity towards anyone they traveled with, Martha being the last, but Amy was sure trying to end that century long streak. But that was the thing: Rose was over a hundred years old, had a lot more patience, and was far too secure in her relationship with the Doctor to let Amy really get under her skin.

As they rounded around to the Vincent's home, they found Rory outside waiting, pushing off the wall he was leaning on and coming to meet them.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry. I did tell her to leave you be, that you'd want time alone."

"You were right about that." Amy grumbled, moving past Rory and into the house.

Rory sighed. "I'm sorry," he said again, looking between the Doctor and Rose. "I tried talking to her, but I don't know …."

"It's fine, Rory," The Doctor said, clapping him on the shoulder with a reassuring grin. "No harm done. Well, harm could have been done, I suppose, considering I did tell her to stay and we were chased by the beastie, but either way." He stopped, turning to Rose. "I really do ramble, now, don't I? Worse than simply having a gob, I think."

"Too soon to tell." Rose winked, and the Doctor brightened before stepping inside.

"Okay, I have to ask: he changes, doesn't he?" Rory cut to the chase once they were alone. "He does some sort of thing where he changes himself and you just sort of have to roll with it, don't you?"

Rose chuckled. "Sorta, yeah. First person without knowing the legend of the Time Lords to figure that one out. He does change, he's the third version of him that I've known, really known. He changed just before I went into the coma. Sorta why I might find somethings outta place, or why it might seem like we're getting to know each other."

Rory nodded. "I'm sorry for Amy," He apologized again. "She's had a hard life, and she tends to be a bit possessive over the things."

"Happens." Rose shrugged, and the two moved to sit on the front step. Echoes of Amy and the Doctor came from the back garden, talk of sunflowers and breakfast, but Rose was content to let them have their moment while she got some information from Rory. "She seems to not like me much."

"Well, she did try to kiss your husband, and you are being awfully nice to her." He countered with nonchalance.

"She wouldn't be the first, and to be honest she'll likely not be the last. Had women try to kill me just to have him."

"Seriously?" Rory arched a brow.

"Yeah, don't quite understand it myself. May be fit, but he'd talk for England if you let him. Always like that, for as long as I've known him."

"And that's … over a hundred years." Rory said, though Rose didn't need to reaffirm. "I often wished to be able to love Amy that long, or longer. I asked her to marry me when those pepper pot things tried to take over the Earth, when it moved. Did it properly after, too. With Champagne and flowers, and the whole thing. She seemed happy at the time, but to know she ran off …."

"The first time the Doctor ever told me he loved me was just before we got separated for a year. Told me he'd ask me to marry him one day, waited five years. Asked after we were kidnapped. Never even truly hinted that maybe we could have been more than mates until I was almost lost to the another Universe. Sometimes people run, not 'cause they don't love enough, but because they're scared of how much they do love. Amy, she sorta reminds me of the Doctor early in his last body. Flirty with everyone, drawing attention he didn't mean to. Ask him about France, see the look on his face when you do. He'll grimace, then get sorta dreamy, then become guilty again. But at no point did he stop loving me. He just got scared."

Rory had listened, baring little smirks and snorts here and there, but mostly he seemed thoughtful. She sat patiently with him as he seemed to ponder what it could all mean for he and Amy.

With a deep sigh, he got to his feet and offered Rose a hand to rise up herself. She took it, and the two went inside the cottage without a word.

No one was in the sitting room, or the kitchen, though Rose could see Vincent out the back window, as well as a vast amount of sunflowers in the back garden.

"Should we?" Rory asked, gesturing to the door. Rose shook her head, and he shrugged, taking a seat in the sitting room. As she leaned against the wall, she heard the door in the kitchen open. She could hear the heavy footfall of the two men as the came in to the sitting room.

Vincent glanced around, barely acknowledging either of them before he turned his attention to the Doctor.

He picked up his gizmo, taking a piece of paper from within it and showing it to Vincent.

"That's him," He told the Doctor as he sat in the nearest available chair. "And the eyes - without mercy."

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," The Doctor explained. "They travel in space, they travel as a pack. Scavenging across the universe. Sometimes one of them gets left behind and because they are a brutal race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, abandoned Krafayis."

"Who just follow instinct and kill." Rose said. "But can't be simply for sport, must have a reason yeah?"

"Well, they are omnivores. So they could, in theory, hunt for food. But this one is alone, likely frightened, and as a species they panic when alone. Killing not for food, but simply because it can't control itself without the hierarchy it's known since birth. It will likely kill until it is killed, as many of those left behind do. But they usually aren't killed because other creatures can't see them." The Doctor replied.

"But I can," Vincent said thoughtfully.

"Yes, and that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So, feeling like painting the church today?" The Doctor asked, leaning back against the wall with a confident air about him.

"What about the monster?" Vincent asked, brow furrowing as he looked at the print out.

"Take my word for it: if you paint it, he will come." The Doctor smirked.

"Did he seriously just paraphrase _Field of Dreams_?" Rory asked Rose, pointing at the Doctor in confusion.

"Once quoted the Lion King in the middle of an invasion of blood thirst slavers." Rose replied with a shrug.

"Right, okay." Rory said, looking at his lap where his hand fell to. He didn't look up as the back door opened, and more to the point he seemed adamant to not raise his head at all, eyes shifting without likely seeing much.

Rose sensed Amy standing in the entry to the kitchen, and inevitably glanced over to see her standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, looking at the painter in his chair.

Vincent stood up. "I'll get my things," he said with a nod.

"In your own time. I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow." The Doctor reassured, and a flicker of pain came to Vincent's face before it was perfectly masked behind indifference. He paused to look at Amy before heading upstairs, but neither ginger said a word. When his foot falls were quiet, the Doctor looked to Rose. "I would never ask this of you, Sweetheart, but you are in a unique position yourself."

"My priority is you." She reminded him.

"I know, I do. But we are in the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting. If we're not careful …."

"I understand." She said with a nod. "I will look after him, but Doctor."

"Rose."

She pleaded with his name through their bond, and it stopped him from saying what ever he would have vocalized. They stared one another down, though there was no argument nor any telepathic communication between them. Simply a look, from one spouse to another, that translated to something they had known for decades: even if they could, they'd never be able to live without the other.

"Mind sharing with the class?" Amy piped up.

"Nothing to share, Pond." The Doctor looked away first, smiled at Amy before heading up stairs after Vincent.

"So what makes you so special, then? Vincent can see the creature thing. What can you do?" Amy asked, looking at Rose's feet.

"It's more like what I can't do." She replied, looking at Amy until the ginger met her eye reluctantly. "And with any luck, you won't have to find out." Rose then pushed off, heading out the front door to get some air and wait for her husband and the painter to come back down.

* * *

 

Rory had to admit his talk with Rose helped in a small way. Yes, he was walking at the back of their group of five, watching as Amy flirted with Vincent and denied that she was feeling anything less than happy. Sure, he'd been considered second best from the moment he stepped in to the TARDIS, but he took the words Rose had to heart. And watching the centuries old married couple in front of him carrying on with little whispers, hands clasped together like teenagers, he had hope that maybe they could eventually get to that stage.

Not that they would ever get to live to be that old, but the concept of being that close to her at the end of a long life was appealing. He could never kid himself in believing there could ever be anyone else, he was in love from the moment they were seven years old and she was brought to the front of the class to be introduced by the teacher.

"So, just so we're all up to speed on the plan, when the creature returns …."

"Then we shall fight him again?" Vincent asked, stopping them all on the dirt road and turning to look at the Doctor with sad, scared eyes.

Rory kind of wondered what was going on upstairs when he heard the sharp wail pierce the air. Rose had seemed to zone out, and he assumed she was checking on the Doctor and Vincent by the way she tensed up. She relaxed but said nothing, and Amy went up on her own. It was the look on Vincent's face when he came back down behind she and the Doctor that tipped Rory off as to the likely reason Vincent would later commit suicide. He'd seen it a lot in patients in the hospital, particularly those brought in for self harm.

And there it was again, the genius painter battling an inner demon revolving around the certain end of a creature that only he could see, but was also murderous and uncontrollable.

"Well, yes." The Doctor replied. "But last night we were lucky. Amy and Rory could have been killed."

"As could've Rose." Vincent pointed out.

"Well, yes, I suppose. Sorta complicated, that." The Doctor said, hands wringing as he looked at Rose for only a brief moment. "But neither here nor there, this time I will make sure I can see him too."

"Gonna use your gizmo thing then?" Rose asked, gesturing to the device in the Doctor's other hand. Or what ever it was, lorry mirror attached to something that looked more part of a steam punk costume than anything alien or high tech.

"Yes, with you at my side, as always. You'll watch out for Vincent and me."

"And what are we meant to do?" Amy asked, a bit of her fiery spirit in her subtle challenge.

"You and Rory, should stay out of the way." The Doctor said simply.

Rory liked the plan, a good solid plan that should keep them both safe. Stay out of the way, simple enough. He could do that.

But he had a feeling ignited by the sparkle in Amy's eye, the way she simply nodded, that she would not, in fact, stay out of the way. Never could keep out of trouble if it wasn't going to be too much. She'd have likely followed Melody right into a life of crime had she not taken up a modeling job at sixteen.

They walked a short ways before stopping for a funeral procession.

"Oh, it's that poor girl from the village," Vincent noted as Rory came up beside Amy.

"All the more reason we need to put a stop to this." Rose murmured, and the Doctor nodded solemnly.

When the procession passed, and they made to resume their hike, Rory caught Amy's hand and stopped her.

"Please tell me you are at least going to try and stay out of this?" He asked of her.

"He's sending his wife in, how dangerous can it really be?" She shrugged it off and made to leave, but Rory pulled her back.

"She's not entirely human, Amy. I've seen her back, the wounds she got last night from this thing. She was already healing when she and the Doctor left. It's likely that there isn't any evidence of the damage anymore."

"So?"

"So maybe listen to them and let them handle this?" He said, growing more frustrated with the stubborn woman.

She smirked, patted his cheek, and broke away to catch up with Vincent.

Rory watched, sighed, shook his head, and tamped down his urge to scream before jogging to catch up with the group.

* * *

 

There were few things in the Universe Rose hadn't experienced. Watching a brilliant man, revered for his talent thousands of years after he died, paint an image that would one day hang in a museum as a priceless piece was one of them.

As was having to suffer through the Doctor experiencing time moving slowly.

Her mind was filled with his ramblings after Amy had shushed him enough times that he was starting to feel a bit hurt. And when mixed with the nerves he seemed to be feeling, it was likely going to end up with him insulting the entire human race, Vincent (again), or him simply whinging to the point of irritating. So Rose took one for the team, and told him to tell her and only her all the stories he wished to ramble on about.

She was starting to get a headache from the quick, loud, unrelenting chatter in her head.

"There!" Vincent cried out, silencing the Doctor to her great relief and getting the attention of all four of them. He pointed at the church window, exactly where they'd seen the face in the painting. "He's at the window."

"As I thought," The Doctor said, darting for his gizmo and strapping it on to his chest.

"Stay here with Amy and Rory, yeah?" Rose said to Vincent as her husband got ready. "You're too valuable to risk your life."

"I'm not of any value." Vincent said simply.

Rose smiled. "You under estimate yourself." She gave his shoulder a squeeze and went to turn away.

Vincent grabbed her hand, stopping her with a look of panic. "How will you face such a thing? You can't see it, you're unarmed."

"Oh but we are." The Doctor said, coming up to them with the thing strapped to his chest. "With this, a small screwdriver," he smirked at Rose, "And a wolf."

"Confident, you are." Rose countered.

"Faced a lot this last week without you, things I hadn't faced on my own in a long time. I got through those, but barely. Now I have you again, can do anything with you at my side." He then turned to the others. "Stay here." He said in the firm tone everyone ignores. He then took her hand and headed for the church.

It was the kind of quiet inside the empty building that made Rose's heart hammer in her chest. It didn't matter how long she'd been doing this sorta thing, the anticipation of facing something dangerous still shot adrenaline through her veins. Eventually, he let go of her hand as she stared at the mirror. He twisted, trying to get a better look.

"Damn, he's moved." He said in a quiet hush. Turning toward the spot he was trying to find it before.

"Then you stay closer to me just in case the Krafayis' waiting." She said, catching his eyes widening in the mirror surface.

She tensed, turned, and held her ground, knowing it was likely the lizard bird was behind her. Just as she inhaled, she was tossed to the floor with a hard smack.

"Rose!" The Doctor cried out, running toward her only to get tossed back himself.

"Doctor!" Rose heard Amy call, followed by Vincent and Rory calling after her.

She sensed perhaps they were pulling the Krafayis' attention, and panic shot through her. "Oi, you. Yeah you, I know you're there." She said as she inched backwards while facing a spot on the ceiling straight ahead of her. "Can't see you, but I just know. Look at me, I'm a fun thing to play with. Could go on forever, I could. Just leave the rest of 'em alone, yeah?"

She actually heard it roar, and despite knowing she wouldn't stay down for long, she trembled where she stopped, trying to catch her breath.

She hadn't heard anyone leave, but the room on an initial scan was empty except Rory standing absolutely still in the doorway of the church.

"I think I felt it breath on me." He mouthed, and Rose nodded before trying to find her husband and Rory's future wife. She noticed the Doctor's boots below the curtain of the confessional booth, Amy's in the one next to it. A moment later, she peaked around the curtain, meeting Rose's eye fleetingly before ducking back in.

Then she screamed, and pieces of the confessional began breaking away from both sides.

"Hey, are you looking for me, sonny?" Vincent said, looking purposely in the spot above the confessional, thrusting the leg end of a chair toward the spot as if to taunt. "Everyone, behind me."

Rose darted over, but unlike th others, she stood just a bit in front of Vincent as they all backed out the door and into the cool night air.

"I had said behind me, Rose." Vincent partly snapped when they were back outside.

"I'm the one person here we don't have to worry about." She panted.

"Where is he?" The Doctor asked, waving his sonic around.

"Where do you think he is, you idiot? Use your head." Vincent snapped back.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"I'm trying to stun it with crosactic setting." The Doctor snapped back.

"This best not be like you resonating bloody concrete!" Rose growled at him.

"Oi!"

"Duck!" Vincent interrupted their argument, and they all followed Vincent's lead.

"We need to think of a better plan than this." Rory said. "We can't keep just moving about and hoping we don't get mauled."

"And what would you suggest?" The Doctor asked.

"In here." Amy called.

Rose looked over her shoulder, seeing Amy had pulled Rory's hand and dragged him toward the church.

"Go," Rose gestured for the Doctor and Vincent to follow.

"You go, I'll wait here a moment." Vincent said as the Doctor took off.

"No, Vincent, you're too valuable." Rose tried to urge him.

"Protect your friends and your husband." Vincent gripped her shoulder. "The creature is after them anyway, moving around the back."

Rose felt her eyes widen, but she simply nodded. Vincent gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting her go, and she dashed inside the church.

"I know you can understand me," She heard the Doctor say among entering, and she moved as slowly and softly as she could over toward him. "Even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please listen. I also don't belong on this planet, I know what it's like to be alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, who knows?" he said to the back wall where there was a loud boom before the window shattered.

Objects began to fly off to the side of the room, fall over seemingly at random.

"Over here, Mate!" Vincent yelled, and Rose turned to see him come inside with an easel.

"Is he coming toward us?" Rose asked Vincent over her shoulder as she noted the Doctor darting behind a column, Rory and Amy hiding behind a casket.

"No," Vincent said a bit confused. "It's moving round the room, feeling it's way around. It's like it's trapped, just moving around the edges of the room."

" _I am really stupid_." The Doctor said in her mind as he slowly moved toward she and Vincent. "I should have known," He said softly, just loud enough for her and Vincent to hear. "Why does it attack, but never eat its victims? And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room?"

"It can't see." Vincent murmured.

"It can't see," The Doctor concurred. "Which explains why it had perfect hearing."

"Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us." Vincent remarked with growing panic.

Rose turned to her husband, shoved him out of the way toward Amy and Rory as the couple moved toward them. She turned about to grab Vincent as well, when the same wet squish she heard the night before, followed by a wail of pain unlike anything she'd ever heard before. That same metallic scent filled her nostrils, and she paused. Her eyes fell on the easel suspended in what seemed like mid air, Vincent hanging off of it.

"Let go, I got you." She said, moving underneath him.

He surprisingly didn't argue, letting go and falling toward her. She caught him as his feet touched the ground, steadied him from falling over.

"He wasn't without mercy," Vincent said, voice filled with regret. "He was without sight. I didn't meant that to happen, I only meant to wound it. I never meant …."

"Sometimes we do things we don't mean to." She soothed him, looping her arms around him in a makeshift embrace as the Doctor moved toward where the easel remained suspended but no longer moved around.

The Doctor moved toward it, removing the gizmo strapped to his chest as he did. Tossing it aside, he knelt beside the easel and hesitantly reached out a hand. "He's trying to say something," He said softly.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, moving away from Rose and toward the Doctor.

"I'm having trouble making it out, but I think he's saying, 'I'm afraid.'" He petted the creature. "There, there. It's okay. You aren't alone now." He soothed.

"He was frightened," Vincent said, following the Doctor's movements, looking more distinctly at the creature as he could see it. "He lashed out. Like humans who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me, like the children who throw stones at me." He said sadly.

No one said anything more as the Krafayis let out the occasional moan of pain, growing more and more soft. Rose stayed where she was, letting a tear fall free as she and the Doctor shared grief as one. A hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to Rory.

"You alright?" He asked as Amy went to the Doctor.

"Been doing this a long time, done some pretty horrible things. But moments like this, when the invasion was stopped but at this sort of cost, when it wasn't really meant to be like this, these are the worst."

"We won," The Doctor agreed solemnly, "but sometimes winning is no fun."

They heard the last, croaking sounding whimper, and then Vincent bowed his head, and the Doctor shook his. The sense of danger passed, and Rose understood without any one needing to say it: the Krafayis had passed on.

* * *

 

"I only wish I had something of real value to give you." Vincent said to the Doctor once they returned to his cottage. They had spent the night under the stars in an open field, hands joined among the five of them, the travelers listening as Vincent described what he saw above them. When the sun came up, they all made the walk with Vincent back to his cottage, and it was upon entering that he immediately snatched up the painting he'd tried to trade for a drink only a couple days ago.

The Doctor giggled gleefully, hands hovering around the sides of the painting. "Oh, no, no, I could never accept such an extraordinary gift."

"Very well," Vincent said, crest fallen. "You are not the first to decline the offer."

"Meeting and knowing you is worth more to us than any painting you could give us." Rose smiled, and Vincent managed a small one as he accepted a small embrace from her.

"You are too kind. Perhaps, maybe, too good for this Doctor of yours as well." He teased a little as she pulled back. "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful." He said, turning to her and pulling her in for an embrace she readily returned. Rose watched as she kissed his cheek, causing the pour male ginger to blush terribly.

"Be good to yourself, and be kind to yourself." She said.

"I'll try my best." Vincent said, turning to Rory. He extended his hand. "You look after this fiery one. If not, I may have to ask the Doctor to return her to me."

"I'll do my best." Rory said, shaking Vincent's hand.

"Doctor, my friend," Vincent boomed, offering the Doctor his hand, clasping it when the Time Lord's met his. "We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well."

The Doctor stepped forward, holding him tightly.

Rose's mind tickled as the Doctor recalled and tried to block how badly he could relate to this painter. She'd known that he often thought of using up his last regenerations one right after another after the Time War, that he wanted his lives to end. She could see he looked to Vincent almost like he was a kindred spirit in that regard, and it hurt him.

How much did she wish he could have seen what his future was going to be like on those dark days. When his nightmares were the worst, Rose often hoped he could. That he'd be a little bad, cross his own time line, see what was waiting for him.

" _Oh_ ," The Doctor said in his mind as he pulled back. "Vincent," he said out loud, "I have something I would like to show you, if you'd come back to town with us."

"I could do that, yes." Vincent nodded.

"Excellent, yes. Well then, if you could follow us, you will see that you are right in that there is more to life than normal people imagine."

* * *

 

"You sure this isn't going to do anything, I dunno, reaper worthy?" Rose asked the Doctor quietly as they piloted the TARDIS to the day after they left the Musee D'Orsay.

"It'll be fine." He reassured.

"But the reality that we know …."

" _His death is, unfortunately, a fixed point."_ He said through their bond as Vincent chatter with Rory and Amy about the way the light inside the TARDIS shone like stars, the colors remarkable. She could also hear the TARDIS herself preen in her hum, happy to have such praise given to her. But none of it lightened the heavy weight in her chest. " _All we are doing is giving him a gift: knowledge that this isn't all for nothing. That no matter how he thinks now, or what people say, he makes a difference in this world._ "

Rose nodded as the TARDIS landed with a shudder. The Doctor took her hand, guiding her down the ramp. "Com along, Vinny." He called with a grin, opening the doors and allowing the painter to step out first.

"Where are we?" He asked as she and the Doctor joined him outside.

"Paris, 2010 AD, and this is the mighty Musee D'Orsay." The Doctor said, catching Vincent's eye and holding it. "Home to many of the greatest paintings in history."

"Oh, that's wonderful." Vincent said with complete innocence, eagerly heading for the museum.

"Can he do this?" Rory asked. "Isn't this a really bad idea?"

"It's fine," Amy replied as Rose said, "I trust him."

They entered the same way they had the day before, only this time they did not pass through the Roman sculptures, but around and straight in to the Van Gogh exhibit.

The whole while, Rose watched how Vincent's eyes danced with delight at all the wonders he was seeing. It hadn't even occurred to him, it seemed to read the signs that indicated where they were going, and his lack of knowledge on the destination became evident when they entered the wing dedicated to his work.

Tears sprang to Vincent's eyes, a light smile of disbelief playing at the corners of his lips. Amy went up to him, holding his arm just as the Doctor let go of her hand to approach the same man he asked for information on the church from.

Rose hung back as Amy lead Vincent in, listening to the man go on about how fantastic, revered, and simply great he was. Her heart swelled to see Vincent cry with joy, and when he finally looked up, she smiled at the Doctor.

" _Worth it."_ She told him.

" _As I knew it would be."_

* * *

 

"This changes everything," Vincent said as he stepped out of the TARDIS and back into the field they traveled through the day before. "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man." He took a deep breath, looked about with a grin on his face, then it fell to something thoughtful. "I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing."

"Can't change it now," Rose said with a grin, her tongue stuck between her teeth as she stepped out and leaned against the TARDIS.

"No, I can't. And despite the outcome of that pour creature, I can honestly say I wouldn't change anything about these last few days, nor meeting you all."

"It's been a great adventure, and a great honor." The Doctor said as he stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Well, you've turned out to be the first doctor ever to actually make a difference in my life." Vincent said, clasping the Doctor's hand before they both let go. Vincent then reached into his pocket and took out his pipe as he looked about the TARDIS. "The blue of this box, unlike anything I have seen. I wish I could somehow paint it."

"Maybe you will." Rose said, stepping up to the door.

"Maybe." He nodded, stepping back as the Doctor came to the door.

"So long." He said before the both stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

"Imagine there will be hundreds of more paintings now." Amy said with a grin. "We could go back to the gallery, see them all."

The Doctor looked to Rose, guilt in his eyes before he bowed his head and moved to the keyboard. He typed a few things on, then pulled the monitor over. "Come here, Pond." He said sadly, though Amy must not have picked up on it as she skipped over to him. "Take a look."

Rose watched as the light faded from Amy's eyes, and the smile changed to a frown. "No. No, we … we helped, we showed him how good he is, how loved he is."

"It can take a lot to pull even a superior species back from the sort of brink Vincent is on, let alone a human. His outlook may have changed, but in the end he gives in to his pain. His death was a fixed point in time, unable to be altered. Not all things in time can be rewritten."

"Look on the bright side," Rory said, coming around and taking her hand. "You got to meet him."

"Yeah," Amy said, a lot of uncertainty and hesitation in her clasping of his hand.

" _Time lines are shifting back in to place."_ The Doctor said as he watched them with a curious though tight lipped smile. " _You wouldn't have had anything to do with this, would you Sweetheart?_ "

" _I may have had a chat with Rory."_ She confessed, sharing with him the memory of their conversation the previous morning on Vincent's door step.

"How about a cup of tea in the galley, then we can all relax for a bit?" The Doctor suggested. "Amy, you can show Rory the rest of the TARDIS, and Rose and I can …."

"Oi, don't want to know." Amy said, giving Rory's hand a tug and leading him up the stairs and down the corridor.

"Good thing those time lines don't have anything to do with her warming up to me." Rose sighed. "Otherwise, they may never fall in to place."

"I have it on good authority that she sticks around, so I imagine what ever problem she has with you now gets overlooked eventually." The Doctor said as he came over to her and dropped his arm around her shoulders. "But before we get there, tea."

"Yes," She said, leaning against his shoulder. "Tea. Fixes everything, that."


	11. Before the Worst pt 1

Branches whipped her face as they ran, but Jenny paid no mind to it. Her respiratory bypass was kicking in, but she was also mindful of her two companions who lacked them. And while one was a bit modified, she wasn't part Time Lord.

"How much farther?" Melody panted, checking over her shoulder.

"Not far." Jenny replied.

The three of them rushed through the trees, four hearts beating harshly between them, and the relief was palatable from all of them as the stone steps came into view. Running up them at full tilt, they barely had time to catch their breath before they were on their knees at the top. All three were removing backpacks and pulling out parts to a very special device Jenny had made, and she started reassembling it.

"You're positive this will get to them and only them?" Tim panted as he handed Jenny what looked like a mini-satellite dish.

"Programmed it to lock on to the TARDIS," She nodded.

"What if we get them too young." Melody asked. "Or worse, what if we get Dad without Mom?"

Jenny paused her assembly. She'd wondered that herself when she used her TARDIS key as part of the S.O.S. signal. Shaking her head, she resumed her quick assembly.

"Shouldn't. But if it does, that's why we record the message without calling them that." She replied, positioning the camera toward them. She shifted back, Tim and Melody following her lead. She pressed the button on her remote, and a little light came on by the camera. "Doctor, if you're receiving this message it means we are in trouble. With any luck, you recognize all of us, or at least Tim. If you know exactly who we are, then we know you're already on your way. If you don't, then please come. We're in the Gamma Jungle on Truncatis in the Majora galaxy, year 53098. If you hone in on this signal, you will be in our general location."

"Providing the ever so friendly locals don't drive us further out or some shit." Tim interjected.

Melody huffed. "Already told you, there is no way that is a local as the locals are human, and that is distinctly not."

"Whatever you say, Song Bird."

Jenny, used to this already, simply carried on. "Come find us. If we do have to relocate, we'll check back here every two hours. And hurry, please." She ended the video, handed the remote to Tim, and got up to make sure the device was set to transmit while Tim and Melody shouldered their back packs again.

All the lights that should blink were, and she smiled. "Great. Allons-y, then!" She said, just as a loud screech from the thick trees that looked distinctly like those in an Earth Jungle sent a nearby flock of birds scattering. She felt both her hearts stutter, and the wide eyed hear from Melody and Tim let her know it was loud enough for them to hear it too. "Like now."

"Jen, I don't…." Tim started to say, but she cut him off as she pulled his hand roughly, half dragging him down the stairs. Once they got to the bottom, they darted into the thick forest. Moving toward a cave structure they'd seen earlier, the three ducked inside. There was a rustling noise, and suddenly a bright glow broke through the darkness from the light in Melody's hand.

"Jen," Tim said, getting both their attentions. "I think there was a problem with your setting."

"Oh, Tim, what did you do?" Melody huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't do anything." He snapped back, handing the remote to Jenny. She took it, looking at the small screen attached to it, feeling her hearts sink as she watched the display.

"It's always your fault when something goes wrong with the tech." Melody snapped.

"Ah, no. It's not. May be from the the 21st century, but I'm not stupid. I ask when I'm not sure, and I'm telling you there is something wrong with the transmitter."

"Yeah, 'cause you probably pressed a button you shouldn't have." Melody argued.

"He's right, Mels." Jenny cringed. "It was me. I, dunno, I think I mighta crossed a wire or something. I dunno, but it's sending the S.O.S. out … to two different points in time."

"Two different points in time." Melody repeated incredulously.

"Yeah," Jenny winced.

"So we're going to get two of them?" She asked, and Jenny nodded. "Any clue as to when?" Jenny shook her head.

"So we're running the risk of not only getting two Doctors, probably two Wolf Girls, but maybe a duplicate of any one of us?" He said, looking between the two girls who both nodded. "And from what I understand from the stories that is likely the worst possible thing to have happen."

"Two Doctors, it's fine. Time Lord thing, just like two Jenny's aren't bad." Melody answered. "But the rest of us, even two Roses, that could be bad."

"Well shit." He said, plopping down on the stone floor and pushing his hair out of his face. "Guess we just have to hope for the best."

* * *

 

"Hey, Rosie." Jack greeted warmly after the fourth ring.

"Hey, you." She replied, looking up at the time rotor and listening to the Doctor tinker a level below. "It's been a bit for me, had a little something happen, wasn't sure how long it would have ended up being for you." She ran her finger along the edge of her boot, up the laces, while she studied the interior of her home.

"Only been, oh, a couple days, I think." Jack replied, and Rose thought she heard someone in the background. "Yeah, yeah, alright." Jack said, and the creak of a bed came through the line.

"Jack? What are you?" Rose started to say, but Jack's laugh and the click of a door stopped her.

"Sleep over. Three A.M. right now." He said.

"You should have told me." Rose half shouted. There was a thunk below her, followed by an "I'm okay," from her husband.

"It's fine, Rosie," Jack said as Rose tried and failed to prevent her face heating from the blush. "Wasn't that tired anyway. So, had a little something happen. Mind telling me what that something is? Or was?"

"Regeneration sickness." She said bluntly, and it was followed by something breaking in the background.

"Jack?" A familiar woman's voice called out.

"It's fine." He called back, not pulling the phone away to do so and inadvertently yelling in Rose's ear. She winced, and then did so a bit more when she heard the string of Gallifreyan curses come up from underneath.

"I'm closing the bond if you're going to keep surprising me like that." He called up the warning.

Rose didn't have a chance to respond before Jack spoke again. "What do you mean, regeneration sickness? You changed? I thought you were still human?"

"I'm … the same. Not really human according to some thing the Doctor was given that detects species, but that's not really important. I mean the Doctor regenerated and apparently it can affect me."

There was a long enough pause on the other end that Rose pulled the phone away to make sure there was still a connection. She returned it to her ear just as Jack said, "You never told me."

"Sorry?"

"That when he changed you got sick." He replied.

Rose furrowed her brow. "Jack, when are you talking about? Which regeneration?"

"Ten to eleven." He replied, making Rose's heart stop.

"You've met him? New him?"

"Of course I have." Jack replied. "But I guess … must have been a future you. Keep my mouth shut on that one." He said with a sigh. "So I guess that means you are with Amy and Rory now?"

"How much about my personal future do you know?" She teased.

"Enough to know whether or not you two eventually give me that honeymoon I've been asking for." Jack teased back, and she could just see the filthy grin and wink he'd have given her in her mind.

"Been about seventy years, Jack, let it go."

"Never can, never will. For one shining moment in time I was Mister Jack Harkness Tyler, spouse of the Doctor and the Bad Wolf. I don't care if it was declared invalid within an hour, it was my time, Rosie, and I won't ever forget it. So how long has he been wearing the new face? Well, new for you."

"About a week, nearly two." Rose replied. "Only just woke up a couple days ago. Got a bit distracted." She said as something on the monitor beeped. "So who's the lucky girl? Anyone I know?" She asked as she went over to investigate.

"Well. Yes." Jack said hesitantly. "Might be a certain woman with whom you are acquainted."

"Wouldn't be the woman who will one day see me as a mother figure, would it?" She asked very, very quietly, thankful the Doctor closed off their bond and had kept it that way. Over the last century, there had been a few conversations with Jack in which Rose would hear River in the background. They usually happened in the time period after Ianto passed away, though she had stumbled across a Jack too early in the time stream on occasion and would find herself surprised to hear his long time boyfriend in the background once more. It was the disadvantage of keeping Jack linear with them: they still visited Sarah Jane and Luke, Mickey and Martha, even Donna as they could space their visits to them out over decades, something they couldn't with Ianto.

"It might be." Jack said slowly. "Doesn't make you mad, does it?"

Rose chuckled, pulling her eyes away from the monitor to the corridor as Amy emerged. "No, it doesn't." Rose said as she watched the ginger skim over her before moving down stairs in search of the Doctor. "Only woman off limits is Jenny, far as I'm concerned."

"Does that mean you're available?" Jack teased.

"It's a given that I'm not," She replied, returning her attention to the monitor and finally getting the incoming signal up. She nearly dropped the phone when the faces of Jenny, River, and Tim came up. "Jack, I gotta go." She said hurriedly.

"Later, Rosie." He said, though she pretty much cut him off before he finished saying her name.

She slammed her phone down on top of the console. "Doctor!" She called out, hearing the panic start to form in her voice. When he didn't seem to pick up on it right away she slammed mentally against the walls around his mind, shouting his name.

She hadn't even gotten through it when she heard his heavy boots come running up the stairs.

"What is it?" He asked, looking from her to the screen. He tensed, then bolted over, hitting a few keys on the typewriter before the video started playing.

"Doctor," Jenny said cautiously, and the informal address of her Dad made a lump form in Rose's throat. "If you're receiving this message it means we are in trouble. With any luck, you recognize all of us, or at least Tim. If you know exactly who we are, then we know you're already on your way."

"It's Jenny and River," Rose heard Amy say behind them. "Who's the bloke?"

"You know my daughter?" Rose turned and asked, but Amy didn't reply. The message started again on a loop, the voices of River and Tim barely catching Rose's attention as the Doctor moved around to the coordinates panel. She stared at Amy, waiting for an answer that the ginger wouldn't give.

"Yes," The Doctor said, and Rose could feel his discomfort in heavy waves. "We came across them just before we went to get Rory. She and River were doing something really … bad."

"Oh," Rose said, though didn't pull her eyes away from Amy even as Rory came into the console room.

"Umm, what's going on?" He asked, and Amy turned to look at him.

Uncomfortable silence filled the console room even as Rose finally turned away so she could help the Doctor with their time ship.

"S.O.S. call from our daughter." The Doctor replied to Rory's nearly ignored question. "Our daughter, and her friends. Our friends. Well, friend. Other one seems like it's a complicated relationship. Then again I have to wonder why he's with them if we are not. And we can't be, or they wouldn't have sent out an S.O.S."

The TARDIS landed with a shudder, and an uncomfortable hum sounded around them.

"What … was that?" Rory asked, looking at the ceiling with distrust.

"That is the TARDIS being entirely uncomfortable with whatever is going on here. Which means …" The Doctor said before bolting out the doors. Rose followed, finding themselves at the top of some sort of stone structure that reminded her a lot of a pyramid. There was a stone alter in the center with a small, seemingly thrown together gizmo sitting in the middle of it, and at the opposite end was another TARDIS.

"We're already here." Rose remarked as she heard Amy and Rory step out behind them.

She felt the Doctor's panic before he slammed up his walls. "No, just me." He said, whipping around and taking her by the shoulders. "Close the bond." He insisted urgently.

"Why?" Rose asked, but did anyway.

"Cause I'm not entirely sure which me it is, just that there is one. Maybe it's me within the last century, but it's likely not." He said, then turned to Amy and Rory. "Right, so it's a bit more complicated than originally thought. So, when it comes to the girls and Tim, do not say a word. Not a peep, not unless I say it's okay."

"Okay," Rory said calmly while Amy stared at the Doctor with wide, excited eyes. "Is it because this other you might not know she's your …?"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it, Rory. Now," The Doctor spun toward the stone staircase. "I'm down this way, and I sense me here, so we should at the very least go introduce ourselves and send me on my way."

"Not confusing or crazy sounding at all." Amy said.

"No. Not at all. Alright, come along, Pond, Rose, Rory." He said, hand twitching to reach for Rose's and stopping. She caught the frustration on his face before he plastered on a smile and clenched his hand into a fist as they made their way down to the wooded area at the bottom.

Looked more like a jungle, really, and as they moved she searched for a sign of the other Doctor. She couldn't find him among the vegetation, and when they made it to the slightly soft earth she ventured just a touch further from the rest to hunt for him.

"So here I am, but I have to wonder where the other Time Lord I'm sensing is." The familiar voice made her burst out into a grin, turning toward her Doctor who stared wide eyed and jaw dropped back at her.

She squealed quietly, and her Doctor mouthed "no," before turning to the rustle of leaves and branches.

Not terribly as youthful looking as when he first regenerated, the Doctor who emerged looked precisely like he had when they were in the dream state. Hair cut on the short side, reminding her a little of her husband's current hair style, though with the curls this previous regeneration was gifted with. His blue eyes still pierced, but they were warmer than she recalled. He was also in his green frock with the waist coat and cravat, styled similarly to how she recalled he looked from all the images the TARDIS had sent her.

He scanned the group, eyes falling on her, the corner of his mouth turning up a bit.

"It's not you," He said as he stepped toward her. "Though I admit I'm disappointed that it's not." He said as he looked her over.

She should be ashamed that her knees went a little weak, but at that moment Rose felt a bit too much like a teenager with a celebrity crush to properly care that he was just her husband in a younger body. She'd been partly satisfied with having gotten to meet him even in their minds, but this was more than she could have hoped for.

"No, no, she's not. But we do know the Time Lord you're searching out so you don't need to stick around." Her Doctor said as he came up beside her. She could sense as much as see in the corner of her eye how he was fighting the urge to put his arm around her, hold her hand, touch her in any way that would signify her as his. Possessive of her two bodies later and even with himself, it would seem. Though she supposed that shouldn't be surprising from what vague memories she had of Pompeii. "Go on, head back on up, sure your companions are growing impatient. Who are you traveling with, anyway?"

"No one at the moment." The eighth Doctor replied.

"Well then, get back out there and find someone!" Her Doctor encouraged. "I mean, look, I've got three. Full house, or TARDIS, I suppose. Either way, I have three now, about to gain three more, really there isn't any need to for two of us."

The other Doctor smiled cheekily. "Well, as you've said, you already have three."

Her Doctor was about to make another counter when a loud, high pitched screech filled the air. On instinct, Rose pushed the curly-haired Doctor behind her, looking to the trees and searching for what ever made the sound. Her heart started to pound, and she thought she saw two orange dots like a pair of eyes before the ruffled leaves distorted them.

She vaguely acknowledged the younger Doctor's attempt to put her behind him, but Rose wouldn't have any of it.

Something was about to step out of the trees, a pale, overly wrinkled foot with long toes and longer nails stuck out into the sunlight, and then retreated. A hiss sounded, and the movement and rustle of the trees began to move away from them.

No one moved for a long, drawn out moment.

"Okay." Rory said in his usual, unperturbed manor. "Are we going to go anywhere in time and space where there aren't any monsters chasing us?"

"Danger's just the bits in between." Rose repeated words long spoken to her mother. "Just happens we're on an extended holiday from quiet."

"Jenny is out there with that thing." The older Doctor said.

"As is River, and Tim," Rose huffed.

"I'm starting to think that perhaps there being two of us here is for the best." The younger Doctor said. "One of us can stay in the area, wait for the three that sent out the distress call to show up for a rendevous. The other …."

"Can go into the jungle, perhaps find the locals, ask them what that was and how long it's been here. Might give us an understanding as to why those three were here in the first place." The older Doctor interrupted his past self. "Right, okay, Amy, Rory, back up to the top. Rose and I will be up shortly. Me in the frock will wander the woods and …."

"Now, hold on." Rose stopped him, trying her hardest not to smile and failing to the point that she bore a lopsided grin as she turned to her husband. "He's alone."

"Yes, he is, his choice too, I do believe he said. Or maybe I'm just remembering. Can't really tell. Point is, it's quite obvious it's how he wants things."

"Oh, I'm not so sure." His younger self eyed Rose over with a grin matching her own. "I could certainly do with a companion for this particular venture."

"Well, then, why not take Amy? Or Rory? Or Amy _and_ Rory. Two for the price of one, also they shouldn't be split up, but still. Two heads and all."

The younger Doctor looked to the couple standing behind the older Doctor and just off to the side, studying them with great interest. "You are right, they really shouldn't be split up, not at this point. But far be it for me, a stranger to them, to drag them along."

"You're technically a stranger to Rose, too." The older Doctor countered, stiffening as soon as he finished speaking.

"Rose," The Doctor in green drew out her name, taking her hand. "Care to join me in hunting down a strange, alien life form while looking for the locals to gain insight? Possibly run into one of the three people who called us to help?"

"This is the Cupla ship all over again." Her current Doctor said, dragging his hands over his face.

"Oh, Raggedy Man, stop your whinging." Amy said with a smirk. "Best you're the one here when Jenny, River, and the other bloke show up, isn't it?"

"Raggedy Man?" The Doctor holding her hand pondered as he looked over his future self. She wondered at the name herself, having not heard it used before. "Yes, I do see how you could earn yourself such a title. Where did you get that outfit? Certainly not from the wardrobe."

"Same place you got yours, Mister Darcy," He countered, straightening his bow tie.

"If you were going for an insult, you missed your mark there, Doctor." Rose snorted. "And what do you mean the same place? Don't dress anything alike."

"He means, Rose, he stole them from a hospital." The Doctor in the frock said, seeming to understand he was getting his older self in some kind of trouble.

"Oi, you did what!?" She whirled around and growled at her husband. He winced, flinching back as her hand came up to point at him. "Those aren't your clothes?"

"He saved the world, he gets to keep them." Amy said with a hint of annoyance.

"'S not how that works." Rose snapped back.

"I said it then." Rory said just loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough to not be dragged into the conversation.

"Well it was that or facing aliens in tattered trousers and ruined tie." Amy shrugged, maintaining her irritatingly calm demeanor with the edge in her voice. "At least he didn't borrow someone else's pants. Ones he was wearing were a little snug, but suppose they worked." Her mouth curled up slightly.

"Amy," Rory warned, but it was far too late.

Rose met her husband's eye, noting the guilt in his eye, the flush of his cheeks. "How much of you has she seen?"

"They!" He replied immediately. "They were both there when I changed my clothes."

"Actually, Rory turned his back." Amy pointed out, her grin growing a bit more.

There was so much Rose wanted to say, and bottling it up made her muscles sore. There was a headache forming in her mind where the bond was closed off and she wanted to scream at him through it. She cleared her throat, trying to simmer down the rage as she put on a smile. "Amy was right, you should be the one there when one of them show up. It's quite likely that Tim might not know you, but he'll know the TARDIS, and he'll figure it out quickly enough. In the meantime, I'm going to go with the Doctor."

"We are _not_ having another Cupla ship argument." Her husband said through his teeth. He stepped closer, and she let him. He held her loosely at the waist, and she let him do that, too, though made no move to return the gesture. "I'm going to have a conversation with Amelia, because so help me if she drives you away from me even a fraction, I won't care how it affects time lines. She will be back in her garden in moment. I've only had you with me again for a few days, and already you're putting distance between us."

"Technically, I'm not." She said softly.

"I refer back when you left my last self to spend some time with my ninth self again because of Martha Jones. Time spent before you planned to leave."

"Not leaving you, you daft alien." She countered, giving his shoulder a gentle shove. "He's a younger version of you, and if I have to save one or the other, guess which one it's going to have to be?" She pointed out, and she could see that he could relent to that fact. "Not saying I'm not a bit miffed at you. And don't think we aren't going to have a conversation about your wardrobe."

At that he smirked, leaned forward, and whispered as softly as possible, "Yes, dear." Her ear tingled with his breath against her skin, and he pulled back entirely. "Right, you two head off. Do not let anything happen to each other. And if you find Jenny or River, send them my way."

"What about Tim?" Rose asked.

"Rightfully, I can't yell at Tim. Jenny and River, however, are another story." He said before turning around. "Come along, Pond, Rory." He said with a large, sweeping wave before he headed toward the stairs.

Rose watched, sensing the Doctor coming up behind her. "I think our walk through the jungle will be most enlightening." He said, and she caught his smug grin in her peripheral vision. "Do tell me why we were on a Cupla ship, and what was this argument we had that seems like it was quite memorable?"

Rose arched a brow at him. "Think I'm going to give you future knowledge? Know you're gonna have to forget this, but best you stay as in the dark as possible, yeah?"

"Oh, I don't know." He countered, turning to the jungle and extending a hand toward her. "Might make things more interesting for me."

She smiled, big and bright with her tongue between her teeth. He was going to be dangerous. And the memory of what was under all that silk and velvet didn't help Rose resist putting her hand in his in any way.

A spark tickled her mind on the contact, startling the both of them. Her bond was still closed, mental shields fully raised, but he was there, a second Doctor just on the edges of her mind.

"Interesting indeed." He said, cautiously curious, though didn't push at the moment. "Shall we?" He asked, and she merely nodded as she allowed him to guide her into the jungle.

She thought she heard rustling again, a low whimper, but when she looked around she couldn't see anything.

* * *

 

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." Jenny said, clutching at her head and pacing in a three foot space.

"You don't believe in gods." Tim said, trying to keep his amusement at her panic tucked away. He didn't want to tell her that it wasn't so much the remote that told him something was wrong with the device, but the thought things that came when he touched it.

Two Doctors, both with faces he knew, the Ponds, Wolf Girl and the Velvet Doctor ….

Yeah, he was pretty sure she didn't want to know everything he saw, but once she found out the problem with the machine he knew it wouldn't matter. And when she sense the second TARDIS landing, Jenny became completely, totally inconsolable.

"Tim," River/Melody/annoying necessity growled with a stern look.

"I'm just pointing out a fact, Song Bird." He said with a sarcastic grin. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. At that, he stood, moved to step in front of Jenny, and stopped her by clutching her wrists. "You feel your Dad in your head?"

"Times two." She said. "Two, two of them, and I'm pretty sure one of them is not happy."

"Maybe that's because he's worried about you?" He suggested. "Where are they in the time stream, can you tell?" He asked. She shook her head. "So it's possible he doesn't know that you …."

"Are using a shoddy time travel ship commandeered by a time agent and traveling without him and Mom, but with you and Melody? Yeah, no, not likely." She said in a rush. "Probably didn't even know you would be here, with us, if he is angry because I can almost guarantee he wouldn't be surprised if he saw just Mels and I."

"Why do you say that?" The Nuisance still crouched on the ground asked.

"Spoilers," Jenny shot back.

"This have to do with the weekend you wouldn't tell me about?"

"Might." Jenny said. "And it was a weekend for you, but more a week for me." She turned back to Tim, smirking at his confusion. "Point is how do I explain all this to him?"

"Umm, with words?" Tim countered, smiling at her snort. He pulled her hands away from her head and dropped one wrist to stroke her cheek. "Know that I didn't exactly have both parents growing up, but pretty sure they like the truth."

"Oh shove it." She chuckled, relaxing a little more. "Wanna come with me? Might yell at me just a bit less if you're there."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I think the pair of us should go." The Thing-With-Curls spoke, making Tim roll his eyes.

"And leave the poor, defenseless human in a cave by himself. Yep, that sounds like an excellent idea." He countered.

"Doesn't it?" The Nuisance replied with a sickly sweet tone.

"Would the two of you stop?" Jenny snapped. "Honestly, get along, for once."

"This is us getting along," River replied with a shrug. And if Tim had to be honest, thinking of her by even that alias was only for Jenny's benefit. He had to wonder, really, what sort of fate he had coming that made the River in the library so much more pleasant to be around than the one he found himself so frequently stuck with these days. "Alright, fine, let Tim go along with you. If one of the versions of Dad is cross with us, means Mum's here, too. Unless it's during _that_ time. And in that case, Mummy and Daddy aren't likely with him, anyway."

Tim blinked. "I wouldn't want your life." He told her bluntly.

"You mean the fabulous one where I essentially had two sets of parents, grew up all over space and time, and ended up with fabulous hair?"

"I mean a life in which everyone has two or three identifiers, and you, a grown woman of fifty something or other, still call one half of the people who raised you'Mummy and Daddy'."

"Whatever you say." She said with a shrug, pulling out a tablet type thing from her bag and making a show of settling in.

He huffed, but said nothing, picking up his backpack and shouldering it as Jenny did the same.

"We'll be back in an hour tops." Jenny said before she tilted her head to the cave door. Tim nodded, then followed. They walked a short way, Jenny checking over her shoulder periodically before coming to a complete stop.

"What is it?" He asked, glancing around for signs of danger, or Storm Boy and Wolf Girl. Just as he turned back to Jenny, she slammed him into a nearby try and kissed him forcefully, and without mercy. His hands gripped her head, fingers just a bit in her hair, and pulled her back. Gasping for the air, he said, "Right, so you're _that_ Jenny?"

She smiled. "Been waiting to do that since we picked you up."

"Your Dad's here. Two of them. So's your Mom. You really want them to find out about us like this?" He asked her. "Especially when half the time _I'm_ finding out about us like this?"

Jenny's nose crinkled. "Yeah, not the best."

"Yeah, not the best." He agreed. "Should we go now?"

"You aren't seeing anyone else, are you?" She asked suspiciously.

He gapped at her. He was, sorta, but he was a time traveler and didn't dare have anything too serious. He never knew when long-gone authors or the daughter of his friends were going to spring a snog on him, if not more, and he decided it was best for his moral compass if he wasn't committed to anyone.

But the guilt Tim always got in these situations must have crept into his eyes, because a second later Jenny looked panicked.

"I got you way too early, didn't I?" She asked him. "When was the last time you saw me?"

"Your parents picked me up and brought us to some resort planet. Your Dad was about to regenerate."

Jenny's eyes went wide. "Oh," She said, paling. "Yeah, bit early."

"Yeah, was a bit surprised by the time machine." He replied as she stepped back. "But does it help to know that this isn't our second kiss?"

"Third for you." She countered as he pushed off the tree.

"Right, so that wasn't a second you our last night there. Okay, awkward."

Jenny rolled her eyes, shook her head, and continued back toward the pyramid type thing they had set the device on.

He huffed out a sigh. Probably for the best she just think he was an idiot at the moment. That she not know she'd pay him a visit at his apartment quite often, that he was more aware of what his future looked like than he should be.

Best that Jenny didn't know that whatever she thought they were doing was going to lead to something much, much more.

* * *

 

"So when do I have the pleasure of meeting you?" The Doctor asked as he and Rose moved through the jungle. They hadn't made it far from the stone structure, was probably only just out of hearing range.

"You once confessed to me it was shortly after you regenerated into your ninth self." She replied, meeting his eye. "So not too much longer," She said with a wink.

He smiled, chuckling in his chest. "Oh, you are an enigma. Clearly human: one heartbeat, human hormones, dress and speak as if from twenty-first century Earth, but you have been with me for three regenerations. Sticking around through one is a feat in and of itself for your species in your time, but three? How old could you possibly be? How often have I regenerated?"

She laughed. "Not answering either of those questions, thanks."

"Oh, come on. You know I'll forget." He egged her on, moving ahead and pushing a branch out of the way for her.

"Well then, how old are you?" She countered.

"Oh, somewhere around a thousand, possibly closer to eleven hundred." He replied with a shrug.

She shook her head. "Always knew you were lying about your age." She said as she stepped past him

He let go of the branch, the vegetation shaking as the limb whipped at leaves and branches. "Have you, now?"

"Always thought you were shootin' for older, though. Trying to make yourself more impressive." She replied.

"Well, to be honest, I often don't know. And I suppose, sometimes, I consider where I am, what I've done. For example, if I were on Gallifrey, we wouldn't even really worry about age, though I suspect there I would be about two thousand, maybe older."

Rose stopped, heart dropping into her stomach.

Gallifrey.

Not said with heaviness, regret, the fond tone of someone remembering a place long gone. It was said with ease, as fact, an absolute given.

Which only served to remind her why this Doctor's smile was so much lighter, easier. The Doctor she'd spent nearly her whole life with still suffered from nightmares sprung from the war, still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the only other Time Lord left was their daughter, and that was by chance. This Doctor was still running from Gallifrey, having no idea that soon there would no longer be a Gallifrey to run from.

"What is it?" He asked, amused. "Look too good for my age? I suppose since the regeneration you're traveling with is older and youthful it's not quite so pertinent, but I do believe this incarnation …." He stopped just after Rose's vision blurred. "Rose, what is it? What have I said to upset you?"

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head and forcing on a grin. He came toward her carefully, as if approaching a flighty animal. "It's nothing, really." She tried to reassure, but when he touched her skin, he drew his hand back like she burned him.

"I wouldn't say that." He said softly, stepping closer, putting his hands on her leather covered arms. He caressed the material with his thumbs, looking toward the creases he traced. "You know about the time war, don't you?" He asked.

Rose put her hands on his chest, over his hearts, feeling them hammer erratically. "I do." She replied honestly.

"You know how it ends. For the Universe, for me. Obviously we win, otherwise I don't believe I would be standing here talking to you, having run into an older version of myself. But I do wonder what they cost to win will be. And how long I will manage to stay out of the war." She remained silent, gaze focused on her hands against the velvet. He cupped her cheek, the spark of his mind against hers, and she snorted.

Two Doctor's in her mind. She thought, though couldn't be sure, that it must have felt the same with the Doctor's she'd met in the past such as the current form of her husband. How strange must it have been for them to feel two of her minds in his like she was with this regeneration. Without thinking much of the action, she leaned in to his touch.

"I won't have long, will I?" He asked her. "And I suspect from the way you're acting, that perhaps I don't come out the man I am now. And I hardly mean because I've regenerated."

"You're fishing for details I can't give you." She reminded him.

"I could just get it from you." He said rather bluntly. "I already feel that I have somehow managed to bond with you on some level. It really wouldn't take much for me to establish it."

"I have my shields up." She countered.

"And I could easily break through them." He said on a breathy laugh. "Clearly I placate you in the future, or else I'd have made you strengthen those by now. Any Time Lord that came across this anomaly of yours could easily get through them if they chose too."

She stepped back, trying to read his near-blank expression. "You wouldn't dare. 'S intimate, that. Bond or no bond, you wouldn't enter my mind without permission and we both know it. And besides, you don't even wanna know how dangerous I actually am, and don't think for a moment that I wouldn't put up a fight just 'cause you're my Doctor."

"Oh, you're Doctor?" He said, stepping closer and looking at her as if he wasn't seeing her at all. "Yes, I suppose I would be. Can't read your time line, not even a small glimpse."

"You're trying?"

"Oh no, this regeneration has a knack for simply seeing them." The tension that started mounting halted, changing. "Something else this regeneration is prone to doing."

"What's that then?" Rose asked, gaze moving to his mouth. She already knew, she'd heard the stories.

His lips twitched upward, and they were coming closer.

Then Rose heard a rustle in the bushes.

She spun abruptly around, keeping the Doctor behind her as she tried to listen to where the noise was coming from.

"Rose, I hardly think …."

"Shut up, Doctor." She said plainly.

The rustling stopped.

"I think," He said, just by his ear. "You were simply trying to distract me. If you didn't want me to kiss you, you simply could have said no. I would have listened."

"Sure about that?" She smirked though didn't pull her eyes away from the vegetation surrounding them. "Awfully rude, you are."

"Am I?" He breathed, breath on her neck, hand and bond tingling as he grasped her fingers.

She blinked, fighting the urge to shiver, then noted the orange eyes.

Hers widened just as something launched out from behind the bushes.

Pushing the Doctor aside, Rose didn't have a second to look back before she was knocked to the ground. All the air escaped her lungs as she landed on something, probably a rock or a tree root, but her fight instincts gave her little reaction. Hot breath puffed against her face as something heavy attempted to keep her pinned. She turned toward it, narrowing her gaze.

Orange eyes. Entirely orange eyes. It looks like it could have stood up like a human, but seemed more comfortable on all fours. It was beige in color, wrinkled all over, and seemed to have peach fuzzy all over. Its mouth was filled small, sharp razor teeth that threatened as its mouth curled in something like a smile, and its black tongue darted out.

"Oh, look at you." She heard the Doctor say, though the oversized alien on her was preventing her from seeing. "You are just a magnificent creature, aren't you?"

The creature, as he called it, sniffed her. After a few seconds, its head shot up like a dog, and it darted into the jungle.

"Well, that was interesting." The Doctor said, coming over and kneeling beside her. "I wonder what the locals have to say about it."

Rose attempted to get her feet but found she couldn't move. With the adrenaline fading from her system, she felt intense pain in the middle of her back.

"Might have to wait a bit for that." She said, and he frown in confusion. "Bit paralyzed at the moment."

* * *

 

Amy watched the Doctor tinker with the device on the stone altar from where she was perched on the end of it. He frowned nearly constantly, though he didn't seem to be doing so because of the thing he was playing with.

"You look a bit frustrated." She commented, bending to try and catch his eye.

He wouldn't bite. "I am." He said flatly.

"'Cause your oh so loyal wife is off with some other bloke?" Amy asked. She was taken aback when he flashed his eyes up to her, dark and dangerous. "Oh, come on. How often did ya sneak off to stay with her while she was sick, and first chance she gets she's off with another guy that calls himself Doctor. Sounds like she has a fetish."

"It's him, Amy." Rory said, getting the Doctor's attention, causing the alien's eyes to go wide and jaw to drop.

Amy turned to where her boyfriend was leaning against the other TARDIS, watching them with crossed arms.

"What are you on about, it's him? Short dude with curly hair, sorta fit." She threw her thumb behind her in the direction of the Doctor. "Tall, very fit, straight hair. Not the same. Not even the same eye color."

"How did you know he was me?" The Doctor asked, contradicting everything she'd just proved. She turned back toward him, watching the Doctor leaning over the altar toward Rory.

"Don't be daft, wasn't you." Amy shook her head.

He looked at her like she was the one being crazy. "Think I know myself when I see me, Pond." He then turned back to Rory, the confusion returning. "How did you know?"

Rory shrugged. "Statue in the Museum didn't look _quite_ like you. I vaguely remember images of Casanova, doesn't look anything like you. I asked Rose, told her what I suspected, she confirmed it." He stared for a moment, dropping his arms. "Sorry, I'm … I was just wondering and she confirmed, I didn't think it was a big deal."

"No, suppose it's not. Quite impressive, really, you figuring out regeneration all on your own."

"Well, I figured out you change, she never said how." Rory said slowly, concern in his tone as he took a couple steps toward them. "Regeneration?"

"Yes."

"So you …."

"Die, yes." The Doctor said, and Amy whipped her head around to look at him.

Her eyes hurt from being open so wide, and she felt her mouth starting to go dry. "That's what you meant back on that planet there, with the angel. You said 'die twice in one week.' You had just died not that long ago."

"Yes," He said, returning his attention to the gizmo, pulling the side off. He took his sonic thingy out of his pocket and pointed at the device. "I haven't been the man Rose is in the jungle with in a very long time. He was the last me I was before meeting her, and she's always had a bit of a thing for that me. And my fifth me. And oddly my third. She has her favorites, I suppose, like I would have favorite outfits she wears."

"So she likes that you more than this you, and that's why she's all critical and that?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

"She doesn't know this him yet." Rory said, and she glared at him over her shoulder. He merely glanced over before looking at the jungle. "She's just getting to know him, is all. Not critical, she's asking questions of him. Getting to know him. Seems like a normal thing to do."

"She doesn't know all my quirks, my mannerisms. Hasn't even discovered I like fish custard and take less sugar in my tea." The Doctor said as he stood, pocketing the green, glowy, sonic thing before meeting her gaze dead on. "Which brings me to a very crucial point, you do know these things. You were the first person I interacted with fresh from the process, but that does not mean you know me. Little things change, Amelia, big things do not. And I am fairly sure the woman I have loved for so long is much more aware of the big things than you are. So, where am I going with this, you may wonder. Well, I will tell you. Stop trying to stir trouble. Not sure why you're doing it, but it needs to end or else this here will be your last trip. Am I making myself clear?"

She felt like a child, made small by the reprimand. Amy glared, though she couldn't hold it under the even, unwavering stance of the Doctor.

"We have company," Rory said. "Looks like a blonde. Not Rose though. And someone else."

"Male or female?" The Doctor said, moving to where Rory was standing and staring down. "Jenny and Tim. Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. River seems to be a cunning kind of smart, likely knew I would have something to say to the both of them."


	12. Before the Worst pt 2

The Doctor held her up in a sitting position with one hand while using the sonic on her back with the other. Rose wasn't sure if this particular version was attempting to heal her, or merely get an idea as to why she was suddenly paralyzed. As it was, she'd already started to feel her legs again, even if she couldn't actually move them through the tingling pain. She really didn't need the extra healing power.

"Just a bruise." He finally said as the whirring of the sonic stopped. She didn't remark on the difference between it and her husband's, knowing she'd seen the same version in the dream state. Turning her head, Rose watched the Doctor tuck it inside his velvet frock with a sigh. "Healing remarkably quick, however. I'd say about an hour and you'll be on your feet again, quite literally."

"Maybe you should get the other you." She commented, fighting the urge to try and get on her feet when she was well aware she wouldn't be able to. "He could carry me back to our TARDIS."

"Don't be ridiculous." The other Doctor looked at her like she was a stupid ape, something she hadn't seen from him in years. He bent down, scooped her up without effort, and headed over the path that they were moving on before. She flung her arms around his neck to steady herself. "You don't seem at all surprised about my ability to carry you. How often are you this incapacitated?" He teased at the end, and Rose laughed.

"I know you're stronger than you look." She teased back, enjoying the warm smile he gave her. "'Sides, your last body was quite thin, hardly looked like there was any muscle on ya at all. You once carried me as soaked-through dead weight for five minutes back to the TARDIS."

"Well, I suppose that would be an excellent reason as to why this is no surprise to you at all."

The two remained quiet on their walk, Rose leaning in to him and resting her head against his shoulder. Her forehead brushed against his neck, and she could feel his mind touch hers again.

She could feel her legs regain sensation, but it was more uncomfortable than anything. She kept wanting to shake her legs out, get the feeling back to normal in them, but she couldn't move them to do so.

"Do you hear that?" He asked her, and Rose shook her head against him. "I believe I hear sounds from the village up ahead." He said more softly, oddly intimate.

Rose didn't touch on that, letting it pass as he stepped over tree limbs and roots and entered a clearing.

The village was actually quite beautiful. Little huts made from tree limbs and over-large leaves for the roofing. They were quite elaborate for being constructed so simply, looking to be more than one room huts. There was a simple well in the middle of the village, as well as community fire pit where some members of the village gathered but didn't seem to be doing much more than staring into the flames. Despite the lack of any kind of joy, the locals were beautiful people with golden-brown skin and pitch black hair. Their eyes were gold in varying shades, and Rose was sure they would have sparkled if any of them would smile.

"You are not the ones who were here before." A middle aged woman approached them, dressed like all the others in simple off-white linens. "Though you look like the one called Jenny." She noted to Rose.

"I'm her mother," Rose said, catching the Doctor whip his head toward her in her peripheral vision. "This is her father," She added with a pat on his chest. "She's been here with River and Tim?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. They came a day after the crash."

"Crash?" The Doctor said. "There was a crash?" The woman looked at him oddly, gaze darting to Rose. "Oh, yes. Right. Is there a place where I can set down my mate while we chat?" He said without missing a beat, causing Rose to smirk.

"This way," The woman said, waving toward one of the larger huts nearby.

Once she was a fair distance away, the Doctor whispered, "Daughter?"

"Yes." Rose said simply.

The topic didn't get discussed any further as they followed the woman inside. She gestured to a simple chair where the Doctor set Rose down. Noting her legs were regaining their feeling more and more, Rose was able to shift around to gain a bit of comfort on the hard would furniture.

"There was a crash not far from here about five days ago. We have many, and didn't think much of it. We had sent the usual scouts out to ensure that if there were any survivors that they would be cared for. And if not, then we would ensure that those who passed would have been returned to the Universe."

"And how do your people do that?" The Doctor asked as he pulled a stool up beside Rose and sat beside her. He placed his hand over hers, though didn't seem to be trying to connect to her so much as prove solidarity.

"We burn them, so that their souls could be free and return to the stars on the smoke."

"Oh." He said simply, then gestured for her to continue.

"We sent people out, and they reported that there didn't seem to be anyone on board. Maybe they were already pulled away, I'm not sure. We thought nothing of it, and we had a union planned."

"Like a wedding. A, uh, marriage?" Rose asked.

"Yes." The woman confirmed. "We only managed to get the couple as far as the stairs to the altar of gods when we heard the sound. Then a horrible, terrible thing came out of the woods and charged the two that were to be united. We thought that, perhaps, we were simply being shown a sign from the gods that their union would not be blessed. But then others were being attacked, and it … it came to our village. We can only think that maybe we were being punished by the gods, that we had somehow upset them. Your daughter and her friends showed up before sunrise, said they were tracking the ship's … something? A distress signal, or something. Forgive me, I'm not completely familiar with your technology."

"So Jenny and the others were tracking the creature?"

"No, I think they were simply coming to help the ship. It was when we told them about the creature that they changed what they were hunting for."

"I believe where the TARDISes are is the altar of the gods." The Doctor said thoughtfully. "Which means this creature, which you have never encountered before, is keeping to a small area. I wonder why?" He said more to himself than anything.

"It seems drawn to happiness." The woman said. "Especially happiness brought on by love. I saw the way your daughter was looking at her male companion. I was not surprised to hear the call of the beast not long after they left our village."

* * *

 

"Jenny Jacqueline Tyler, what in the bloody Universe do you think you're doing? Traveling your own, tracking down Weeping Angels, and now you're dragging Tim into this? It's the year 5038 AD on Earth right now, so how did that even happen?" The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest and stared down the daughter that looked about as old as her parents.

Rory supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. If her father changed everything about himself, and her mother was a hundred something sorta human who still looked to be in her twenties, then it seemed logical in an illogical way that their daughter would be sort of perfect, too. Had to be an alien thing.

"Ah," Jenny said, wringing her hands and smiling like she knew exactly how much trouble she was about to get in. It made her look child like for a woman who appeared to be about twenty. "Well, you see, there was a ship that belonged to a Time Agent. And, well, you see, the people we got it from didn't _know_ it had belonged to a Time Agent. So River told them we'd fix it up and then, we, umm…."

"Stole it. You stole a ship that belonged to the Time Agency? You stranded someone somewhere?" The Doctor said with an eerie calm.

"No!" Jenny half protested half pleaded. "No, we didn't. I swear. The people we got it from were meeting up with someone. And they were on a very populated planet, and we, umm, did leave some credits for the ship."

He shook his head, huffing a sigh, and looked aged about twenty years as he gave her a look filled with such disappointment Rory thought his own Dad may have taken some tips.

As the grumbling between father and daughter continued, Rory turned to Amy and the young guy, Tim, who each sat on the altar looking entirely uncomfortable.

"Well," Tim said as Rory got closer, sitting to put the North-American sounding bloke in the middle. "Admittedly this is going better than I expected."

"How long have you known the Doctor and Rose?" Rory asked the black-haired, lanky guy who looked a bit older than him.

"I think about eight years, though to be honest I really have no idea. You travel with Storm Boy and Wolf Girl, you tend to loose track of your own age. Especially when you do it for a while."

"Sorry, Storm Boy? Wolf Girl? What sorta names are those?" Amy asked, smirking a bit at Tim.

"The Oncoming Storm and the Bad Wolf. Stuff of legends. Known across all of space and time in some form or another." Tim said without looking away from the Doctor and his daughter. "You two will get to see exactly what that means soon enough."

"Oh?" Rory asked, trying not to sound interested but was entirely.

"Can't tell you anymore than that." Tim said with a sigh.

"Oh come on," Amy elbowed him playfully. "How could you possibly know what we'll see? You aren't from the future, just heard the Doctor say the girls woulda had to pick you up from our time."

Tim smirked. "I'm a bit psychic, Amy Pond."

Rory looked to Amy, seeing her frown. "River or Jenny told you my name." She said simply.

"Oh yeah? Could River or Jenny tell me you made dolls of the Doctor, called him your Raggedy Man. Cuddled one every night you went to bed." He looked at the mortified Amy, and while he had a feeling it wouldn't last, Rory did find it a bit amusing to see. "Thought your husband was gay until your friend pointed out he'd been in love with you since you met," Tim leaned back but didn't look to Rory as he added quietly, "Though there was that brief period where you though Dayna Greer was actually kinda hot, and if Amy was never going to give you the time of day you considered giving it a go. But she _was_ gay, so that didn't happen." Rory felt all the color drain from his face as Tim smiled just a bit wider. "This is the first time I've met you, though I've known I would for quite a while."

"Okay," Rory said. "Well, that's not weird or anything."

"You travel with the Doctor and Rose, weird becomes subjective." Tim said, focusing on the alien and his alien daughter again. "Case in point, two of my best friends are mother and daughter."

"Alright, so, you've known them a while. How is she? Rose? Demanding? Bossy? Controlling?" Amy asked, and Rory sent a glare around Tim to his girlfriend who pointedly ignored him.

Tim considered it, or seemed to anyway. "Demanding? No, not unless you're some evil creature and lives are at stake. One time when someone tried to hurt Jen she nearly put them through a wall in order to get answers. Bossy? Well, yes, but also no. Depends on the situation and where the Doctor is. Controlling? If Doc's being an idiot, yeah, sure. But she's sacrificed a lot to be with him, to be there for him, even if it meant not being at his side."

Rory watched as Amy considered the answer with a frown. He expected her to make a contradiction, but instead she turned toward the Doctor and Jenny and watched them with their arms crossed.

"River is still out there, Dad, and alone too." Rory heard her say. "Just let one of us go get her, please?"

"And let you walk around out there with some sort of creature waiting to attack you? I hardly think so." The Doctor countered.

"And you expect you and Mom will just stumble across her?" Jenny countered.

At this, Tim bolted up and moved toward them. "She has a point, Storm Boy. River's pretty well hidden, but we also told her we'd be back and if no one bothers showing up she's going to get nosy."

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, I suppose she would, and I think it's best that there we are always in pairs. Probably for the best, that, since the creature seems unpredictable and going alone would be bad."

"Not as bad as you might think." Rory heard the other Doctor call from down below. He got to his feet and jogged to the edge. He craned his head over the stone wall, seeing the Edwardian looking man standing at the steps with Rose leaning heavily against him. "Best you come down here and have this conversation, not sure our darling wife will make it up there."

Rory watched as the Doctor he was up there with seemed to pale, his Adam's apple bobbing and his whole body going stiff.

"What?" He asked, looking to Jenny and Tim for some guidance. Neither seemed to understand either, both looking confused.

But the Doctor didn't answer as he headed down the stairs. Rory followed, hearing three other set of footsteps shuffle on the stone as well. All paused when a loud screech echoed through the jungle, and the Doctor bolted the rest of the way down.

* * *

 

"I can walk you know." Rose said to the Doctor carrying her at a brisk pace back through the jungle.

"Quite, but this way is much faster and we need to return to the others with this information. I'm fairly certain I know what the creature is, and I'm hoping that my older self with a few more centuries worth of knowledge will be able to confirm." He replied, glancing down at her, corner of his mouth turning upward more with each fleeting look. "We have a daughter?"

"Seriously?"

"You can hardly blame me for being a bit fascinated by the turn of events." The Doctor countered as he slowed enough to gingerly step over a log. "I was surprised enough to discover I have a bond mate, but to know we went so far as to reproduce."

"She wasn't brought about quite like that." Rose partially cut him off as he resumed the journey. "She's an anomaly. Born from you, and we've come to accept she at least looks like me, but we don't know how much of her is Gallifreyan and how much is human. I can't have children."

"Oh," The Doctor stopped, looking at her with honest sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

She managed a quick grin. "My choice. Be with you forever, or have children. Well, it wasn't exactly like that, suppose. Part of the deal anyway."

He studied her intently for a few heart beats, eyes seeming to trace the curve of her face before he met her gaze. "One has to wonder what I do to deserve you in my life. I must sacrifice more than any being should. More than my own life, for there would be no future with you. But what must happen for such a shining presence to choose to be with me forever?"

Rose snorted, "Not all bright and shiny, me. Can be quite dark sometimes too."

"Can't we all?" He teased before resuming their journey.

As they got closer, Rose could hear a very faint echo of her husband yelling at their daughter though she couldn't exactly hear the words. From the way the Doctor carrying her snickered, she imagined he could hear it all nearly perfectly.

"Having fun?"

"Oh, highly amused," he said as they broke through the thick of the jungle in front of the giant stone structure. "About to make it more so for myself." He said as he set her down.

While Rose was fairly healed from her earlier injury, her legs still didn't feel quite right. And while, yes, she could walk, and was doing so as they crept closer to the stairs, she found herself leaning heavily on the Doctor in the frock. An arm around him, gripping his shoulder, she tried to take a step while her legs still felt heavy. She'd never complain about the falling asleep again, at this rate.

"Doing alright?" He raised an eyebrow, eyes dancing with humor.

"Fine." She said, feeling her legs wobble. She grabbed on to his cravat and waist coat to catch herself from falling over, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. His hand was resting low on her hip, keeping her pressed to him as she let go of his garments and held herself steady with the arm around his shoulders. She caught his eye and smiled, though the way he looked at her made it fade quickly. She remembered that look, even if it wasn't entirely real. The same look he gave her before clothes were cast aside and they made love in his once favorite arm chair. Well, once favorite, forgotten, then favorite again as it made its way into the library.

"Doctor." She said cautiously, and the seductive look changed to a mischievous grin.

"Not as bad as you might think." He shouted with a tilt of his chin. He winked, then turned his head up toward the top of the stairs. "Best you come down here and have this conversation, not sure our darling wife will make it up there."

"What are you on about?" Rose asked with a mirthless laugh.

"He refuses to open his mind to either of us, thinking, of course, that he's keeping me from future knowledge. Though it's rather pointless seeing as how I'm going to have to forget it all anyway. They were just discussing the alien and someone named River, I thought I would let them know we were back so I could tell him what we know and my theory on the alien. Oh, which brings me to this." He said thoughtfully before grabbing the back of her head and kissing her firmly.

Yep, same taste through four bodies. This one seemed to have more of a lingering taste of tea than those of the bodies she called husband. Her memory of his ninth body made her think strongly of bananas, and his last one had been sweet from all the sugar he ate. The body felt the same as she remembered, the way he pressed up against her, fingers digging into flesh. She tried very hard to keep those memories in the back of her mind, especially since they weren't real, and tried to focus on what was actually happening.

"So what do I taste like now?" The Doctor asked against her lips. "Not this me, the older me."

"Well," Rose pondered, trying to force herself not to be tempted into kissing this Doctor again as she sensed the one she arrived with was getting closer. A loud screech through the jungle pulled her back, and she looked around her to see where the alien was about to come from.

"Just in time!" The Doctor stepped away slightly, looking around with wide eyed eagerness.

"Rose!" Her current Doctor cried out, arriving beside her a beat later.

"Stay back!" River cried out, jumping out of the bushes with a gun drawn, pointing at a spot across fro her. "No one move, it doesn't seem to like the light."

"Oh, it wouldn't, would it?" The Doctor in green said with that never-changing enthusiasm for life. "Home planet is dark, perpetual night."

"Home planet?" The older Doctor said, and she felt his realization tickle in her mind. "Oh! So that means …."

"Yes," The Doctor holding her said.

"And it's attracted to …."

"Oh, very much so."

"But they aren't supposed to be dangerous?" Her bow tie-wearing husband said as a pair of orange eyes pierced through the shadows.

There was a low growl, and Rose still tried to instinctively shove both Time Lords behind her. It didn't matter, it wasn't going after them.

The alien darted out, past them, right for Rory, Amy, Jenny and Tim. Rory and Jenny both stood in the front, both shoved those they protected out of the way.

Skidding to a stop, the alien howled, arching it's back as it stood on all fours, writhing about before darting back toward Rose and the Doctors.

"Get down." River cried.

"No, you are not shooting it!" The older Doctor yelled. "It's innocent and confused, and there's really no need to…."

Rose didn't hear the last thing her husband said to River. She had been focusing on the alien, trying to make sure the Time Lords were out of its way when it bolted back toward them for the jungle. In its hasty retreat, crying in agony the whole way, the poor thing smacked against her. Which wouldn't have been all that big of deal, really, except she still couldn't properly feel her legs. Knocked off balance, Rose scrambled to regain it, stumbling a bit too far, and colliding head first with a pointed rock.

* * *

 

"Oh my God!" Rory cried out in panic when all Amy could do was scream. She covered her mouth, feeling hysteria come over her as she watched the obscene amount of blood flow from Rose's skull on to the ground just after the most terrifying looking thing in the Universe scampered off into the jungle.

Rory darted over where Rose's body lay, and when Amy could take the sight of her boyfriend tending to her and all that blood, her eyes fell to the Doctor. Her Doctor. Raggedy Man.

He'd just gotten her back, she'd just woken up, and now she wasn't breathing and there was so much blood, and why was he so calm?

Oh no, no, he had said they would take their last breaths together, and here he was staring at her with hard, pained filled eyes.

"Rose, Rose, Love, come on. Don't do this to me." The other Doctor said, kneeling down and cradling her limp head as Rory took vitals.

Amy glanced around, noting that Tim, River, even Jenny looked on stoically. Not scared, not grief stricken, but patient if not a bit uncomfortable.

"How can you stand there like that?" The curly-haired man holding Rose's head snapped at the one standing nearby. "She's our bond mate, and you aren't showing any signs of disconnect. She's dying or dead …."

"No she isn't." Raggedy Man said plainly.

"I'm sorry," Rory said as he got to his feet, placing a hand gently on the Doctor's shoulder. "There's no signs of life. She's gone."

Raggedy Man nodded with a little pout, then turned to to the others. "Tim?" he asked.

Tim shook his head. "Dunno, bout another two, three minutes? You've been around this longer than I have."

"First time it's happened since my regeneration. You were there during the initial discovery, you have the best way of determining how long as it could have reset itself." The Doctor countered.

Amy dropped her hand and stared at her Raggedy Man. How he simply stood beside his wife's dead body like he didn't care at all. She frowned, looking around at everyone again, seeing the same looks on Rory and the other Doctor's face at the turn of conversation.

"I stand by my estimate, then." Tim said, gesturing with both hands to Rose's body before flopping them down to his side.

"Rassilon!" The other Doctor gasped, and Amy turned to see him gapping down at Rose. Her Doctor knelt beside her with a smile on his face, picking up her hand and holding it in both of his.

"I can feel my legs again." Rose spoke, and Amy yelped as Rory took a bit step back. Rose's eyes opened, and she smiled as she looked between the two Doctors. "Not minding the view too much, either."

"You would say that," The Doctor teased as he helped her up, the other one shifting his hands from her head to her back.

"Rose, you … remarkable woman." The other Doctor beamed.

"What exactly just happened?" Rory asked no on in particular, pointing to Rose as both Doctors got to their feet and helped her up. "You were dead. Heart stopped, not breathing, major blood loss, dead."

"Yeah, hazard of mine, that. Jeopardy friendly, and all." She said as she straightened her jumper. "'Nough about me, though, you had a theory on the alien, yeah?" She said to the shorter of the two Doctors who still looked at her with awe.

And yeah, okay, in this case she deserved it. And maybe it all sort of made sense now why Rose kept throwing herself in danger with the Krafayis in France. She didn't die, or at least she didn't stay dead. Amy didn't want to admit she was impressed, or even relieved for that matter, but she was. She didn't want to imagine her Raggedy Man losing his wife when she just got back to him. Didn't want to make all those times she thought he was a widow reality.

"I did." The shorter Doctor said. He looked up, meeting the eyes of his future self. "Pheromones."

"What?" Rory asked as the proper Doctor's eyes went wide with giddiness and wonder. He smacked himself on the forehead, too, despite the ever growing grin.

"Pheromones." The curly-haired one repeated. "It's what's drawing it out. I had to test the theory, of course. The villagers nearby said that it originally attacked during a union ceremony, and if you remember where we are and why that altar is there." He said with a heavy hint of innuendo.

Raggedy Man blushed. "Right, yes."

"Why is the altar there?" Tim asked, crossing his arms and looking entirely serious. Jenny smacked him as River rolled her eyes.

"They, umm, signify their marriage, their union, by, umm…." Raggedy Man tried explaining, hands flailing and wringing as he avoided eye contact with everyone.

"In front of …." Rory said.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded.

"We sat on that." Rory said, squirming a bit.

"How would that be comfortable?" Amy thought out loud.

"Well, it's really all about the positioning," The other Doctor said thoughtfully before Rose smacked him hard on the gut, cutting him off.

"Let's skip of those details, shall we? And you," She said, whirling toward Tim and pointing at him accusingly. "Troublemaker that you are. We won't go in to what we were told back at that village, yeah?"

Tim's arms went limp. "What are you talking about there, Wolf Girl? 'Cause I can say, nothing like _that_ has been happening to me here." He said with the faintest hint of a blush.

"That explains why you two never came back." River snorted.

"Oi, not true." Jenny growled back, hands balling into fists at her sides. "And you don't want to go here, M..mmm… River, or so help me they will know things."

"I already know things." Tim said with an arched brow.

"Shut up," Both girls yelled at him in near perfect sync, the whole thing reminding Amy of watching Mels and her younger sister fighting while they were growing up.

"Are you positive only one of them is ours?" The shorter Doctor said, brow knitting together as he observed the trio.

"No," Raggedy Man said with a shake of his head. He then clapped his hands and turned back to his wife and supposedly younger self. "So our little friend is drawn to the pheromones in the air, thinks it's a food source, and comes running. Only it's not, and it gets angry and confused."

"Hold up," Amy yelled, gesturing for everyone to stop. "Explain to us non-aliens what you're on about."

"It's a Masun." Raggedy Man said with excitement. "A Masun, from two planets over. Quite the distance from here, really. So far that the sun of this solar system is nothing more than a dot on the horizon. Planet is in perpetual night, it's why our alien is not fond of the sun out here, why it flees back to the shade of the jungle. Vegetarian, despite the teeth, and has a strong sense of smell."

"The vegetation on its home world give off a smell that greatly resembles that of humanoid pheromones." The shorter Doctor added. "It's drawn to the scent. Attacked the villagers because the anticipation of ceremony would have produced them. Came after Rose and I a few times because we're mates, even if we're out of sync. There's an attraction there, which is why the villagers pointed out that when you three came by …."

"Okay, yes, understood." Jenny cut him off.

"So it's not attacking." River said, looking between the Time Lords. "It's honestly just a very confused creature."

"Yes. But why were you out here looking for it if you … oh." Raggedy Man had started in his lecture tone then stopped, looking as though he were hearing something no one else could. He looked to Rose, to the other him. "Seems you two girls actually weren't getting into trouble for once."

"But why's it here? How'd it get here if its home world is two planets away?" Amy asked, crossing her arms and putting her weight on her right leg.

"I imagine it was likely meant to be transported to a habitation planet." The curly-haired Doctor said with a shrug. "They're not hostile creatures, not worth anything for capture. And there was a ship crashed, which is what those three were investigating when they landed here."

Jenny nodded. "Picked up the distress signal."

"So what happens to the Masun now?" Rory asked, seeming to try and wrap his tongue around the alien name. "Do we leave it?"

"And have it suffer? No. Two planets away, Rory." Raggedy Man said, looking at Rory incredulously. "We wait til sun down, lure it here, capture it, then take it home."

"Lure it." Rory said, and the Doctor simply nodded. "Right, and we're going to do that how?"

* * *

 

"Exactly how did we become bait for a very creepy, supposedly vegetarian alien?" Rory asked his girlfriend as they climbed up the stairs as the sun was setting. It hadn't been that long ago that Rose came back from the dead and the two Doctors discussed what the alien was with a bit of input from their daughter and her friends. Discussed alien life forms and completely ignoring how a woman was dead and then wasn't. Well, he supposed one was used to it. In fact, all of them were used to it except he and Amy and the younger Doctor.

"Well, the Doctor and the short one both thought it was a good idea to be there to wrangle it in. I doubt the Doctor would actually want that Tim bloke snogging his daughter to lure out the alien, and I don't think River would volunteer."

"Right," Rory said. "Right, yeah. Makes sense. If it was our daughter, I suppose, yeah, I wouldn't exactly want her making out with some guy as trap."

"Or worse." Amy said with a flirty grin she hadn't bestowed on him in a very long time.

"Right." Was all Rory could manage to muster.

"Well, you did hear the mini Doctor." Amy said with fake nonchalance. "It's all about positions."

He stopped on the step and watched as she continued up. He looked down, a partial mistake when he considered how far up he was and how precariously he was sort of balanced on the stair. He couldn't see the others clearly, but that didn't mean that … and Amy wasn't really thinking … but he supposed.

Well, she always was the adventurous sort. And now maybe he was too.

"Nope, nope, not happening." He mumbled to himself as he looked back to where Amy was disappearing. He shook his head resolutely and headed up the stairs.

* * *

 

"This has turned into the most awkward trip any of us have ever taken." Tim noted as he sat between she and Jenny.

"How is it awkward for you?" Melody, or River as this trip had forced her to think of herself, asked him without masking her annoyance. "It's not your parents up there doing things you really don't want to think about."

"Nor is it your mum with two versions of your Dad and one of them is turning out to be a horrendous flirt." Jenny added with a grimace as the younger Doctor leaned over and whispered something in Rose's ear while his hand lingered on her hip. They were setting up a containment field to capture the Masun quickly, and the younger Doctor managed to come up behind Rose just as she was starting to stand up after placing the last generator.

"You're right, you're both right. It's very awkward for you. But here's the thing," He turned to River, and she arched her brow in challenge. "I've _seen_ what your parents are getting to up there." He then turned to Jenny who looked as horrified as River felt, "And I _see_ the thoughts flickering through your younger Dad's mind because he thinks the weaker telepath here is you Mom."

"You mean you see …?"

"Yeah, and let's just say that is way more of your Dad's thought process than I ever wished to know. Spent a good two years of my life traveling with them and thanked the TARDIS every damn day for making sure I was never privy to that information. Except now it's being projected. Loudly. And on the wrong frequency."

River bit back the laugh, though she did enjoy the fact that Tim was suffering on some level. Still, she knew. She'd seen the scar on his temple when they picked him up, knew roughly when it was for him, that it was actually much later in his time stream than he would let Jenny believe. That just because Tim was where he should have been didn't mean he wasn't somewhere else beforehand.

* * *

 

"So at some point in time, I have the pleasure of getting to become acquainted with you." The younger Doctor whispered in her ear as she stood up from placing the last generator of the third containment field. She felt his hand lightly touch her hip, and smirked when a spike of jealousy came through from her husband. Well, the older version.

"Not quite." She confessed, seeing the disappointment in the eighth Doctor's eyes as she met them. "'S a bit complicated how those memories you saw came about. Not something we should be getting into."

"Oi, do you two mind?" The older Doctor growled out loud. "You're gonna end up attracting the Masun before we're ready."

"Oh, and how do you know our young lovers aren't already up there preparing? Time Lords may have an excellent sense of smell, but not this far away, and definitely not as strong as a Masun's. The ginger woman likes risk, and they're up there _literally_ on an altar meant to be …."

"Let's not go there, please?" Rose asked as she cut him off. "We do have to travel with them, yeah? Best we don't think on what their doing, just as they shouldn't think on us."

"Us? What are you implying, Rose, Love? Because I can't speak for my future selves but I wouldn't share you with anyone, including myself."

"Oi, don't give her ideas. Freshly regenerated here, still only a couple weeks in. Still have to get over the typical worry she doesn't like me, best not throw in the possibility that she'd want another me."

"Wouldn't want two of you." Rose said, patting him on the chest and giving him a put-on smile. "One's enough as it is most times."

"See, there you go. We really don't need you here now, so hows about you mosey on up to your TARDIS and leave us be, eh?" Her husband suggested to his younger self with a bit too much enthusiasm.

His younger self smiled smugly. "And leave the memory of your witnessing what your companions are likely doing up there for you to recall the moment you see them? Gladly."

"Oh my god, you're the same bloody man!" Rose growled, pulling at her hair. "Always the same bloody git who tortures himself for absolutely no reason. Honestly, you wanna know the kinda fantasy I have that involves two Doctors? Them getting along! Not bloody well gonna happen, now, innit? Every time, _every_ time you go about mocking yourself or threatening yourself, and it drives me bloody well mad!" She huffed, glaring at the two of them who now seemed to be focused entirely on the jungle behind her.

Rose waited, eye brows rising as she looked at them expectantly, waiting for one of them to say something.

"I believe our friend is on his way." Her husband said without pulling his eyes away from the jungle.

"Quite right." His younger self said, pulling out his model screwdriver from his pocket. "All set?"

"Quite." Her husband said as he pulled out his own.

Both men backed up, eyes never leaving the jungle behind her, sonics at the ready to activate the containment field.

Rose's shoulders sank.

Of course. Of course this would be what happened. Wasn't it always what bloody well happened? Goes at his own throat until he finally uses his big brain to think about something else other than himself?

She moved out of the way, placing herself in front of the trio perched on the bottom of the stairs, and waited.

A breath later, the Masun jumped out of the jungle and charging right for her. Or at least it seemed that way, though she knew what it was actually going for.

Two separate whirring sounds filled the air, and before the Masun could move any further it was captured in the center containment unit.

"Ha ha!" Her husband cheered, moving toward it and kneeling down to get a good look at the alien. "Look at you, you beautiful beastie, you." He cooed. "We'll get you home, soon, we promise."

"Allow me," The younger Doctor said, and he knelt beside his older self and pointed his screwdriver at one of the containment generators. A moment later, the whole thing, Masun included, disappeared. "Put him in holding on my TARDIS. You will have companions to worry about, best you let me deliver it home."

"And where were you planning on heading next?" The older Doctor asked as he got his feet, crossing his arms as he watched his younger self stand and put his sonic away.

"Wherever I'm needed." He replied with a grin. He then turned and looked fondly down at the three sitting on the steps. "I do wish I had had more time with you all, but I suppose I will eventually."

"More than you're likely going to want, Storm Boy." Tim said, standing up and offering a hand to the younger Doctor. He looked at Tim and the offered appendage with amusement before he shook it.

"Yes. And I believe, Timothy, that despite any future misgivings I will be eternally thankful to have had you in my life. Despite how long you'll manage to stick around for."

Tim smirked, winked, shook the Doctor's hand and stepped aside.

"I'm terribly regretful I'm going to forget all of you for the time being." He said to the girls before turning to Rose, taking her hand and looking her in the eye. "Though I believe I will regret forgetting you most of all."

"You'll see me, soon." She said, and she somehow thought that maybe it wasn't quite as far off as she thought. A voice in her mind suggested that perhaps she'd met this Doctor before, and not in the false reality. She pushed it aside though, not wanting to add more confusion to their already entangled Time Lines.

"One can hope." He said before leaning in, cupping her cheek and kissing her just over the line of chaste.

It was Jenny's throat clear that pulled him back. He stepped away from Rose, kneeling down by Jenny. He placed a kiss on top of her head, turned to River and pondered her before doing the same.

"Ah, Doctor." Tim caught his attention as he started up the stairs. When the Doctor paused, Tim held up a finger to single him to hold on a touch longer before cupping his hands around his mouth. "You two better be decent because someone's on their way up." He dropped his hands with a grin. "'Kay, you should be good now." He said, waving the younger Doctor along.

"We'll head back to the village, let the locals know that the Masun is no longer a threat." River said as she got to her feet, brushing off the back of her pants, eyes on the ground. "Best if, umm, best if we go now, I think."

There was an odd look of sympathy that passed between Jenny and Tim that was turned to River, and Rose watched as her daughter put her arm around her friend in comfort.

"Well, if you insist, I suppose." The Doctor said before changing from equally sympathetic to stern. "But I want you two to return the time ship back to where you got it from. You want time travel bad enough, I'm sure I have a TARDIS will allow a clipping of coral for you to grow your own."

"Takes centuries." Jenny protested.

"Not if you shatterfry the plasmic shell and modify the dimensional stabilizer." He countered. "More to that, but I don't remember. It's in a book, somewhere. Check the library when I pick you up next. Point is, you're a grown woman, likely a grown woman, guessing you are, anyway, and it's about time you had your own TARDIS."

"Yes, Dad." Jenny said with a playful roll of her eyes. She moved toward him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She then moved on to Rose, who returned the gesture as tight as she could.

"I won't tell'im about you and Tim." She said softly. "Best you do that when you're ready."

"Thanks, Mum." She said, placing a quick peck on Rose's cheek before she moved to stand next to River.

Tim looked hesitant to come over, doing so reluctantly. He put his arms around Rose's neck. "Be careful. She's everywhere." He whispered.

A cold chill went down Rose's spine, and she pulled back to see the fear and pain in his eyes before he blinked and looked away.

They finished their goodbyes with River, promising to pass on her farewells to Amy and Rory, and the trio parted ways from them.

"She grew up too fast." The Doctor said as he put his arm around Rose's shoulders, turning her toward the stairs.

"We've had her in our lives over a hundred years, now. Never know when she is in her time line when we see her, but 's not like this is the first time we ever really saw her out on her own."

"No," he relented as they climbed the stairs. "But sometimes I do wish she had been with us the whole time. She was never a baby, but there were still all these firsts we would have missed out on. Still, suppose it's not like she was something we'd ever thought we'd have. Knowing she's there to be part of our family, best in the end, isn't it?" He said with a wide grin before it faded. The sounds of the TARDIS in leaving in the distance seemed to halt him, but it was the way his eyes grew sad and remorseful that really made her worry.

"What's wrong?" She asked, putting a hand on his chest, feeling his hearts pound beneath her palm.

The Doctor swallowed. "I remember this day, now. Tucked it away so I wouldn't recall it until after I took off in the TARDIS. Drop off the Masun, as promised but then I …."

"Then you?" Rose asked.

"The next place I go is the last stop I make before I enter the Time War. And what happened … it's not something I like to remember."

"Then let's head home, get some tea, have a little rest, yeah?"

"Yeah." He said, then perked up. "Oh," he said, brightening even more. "Rory and Amy. Their time lines. Almost nearly perfectly on track. Oh this is excellent. Oh, this is … oh, but I don't want to know how they go there."

Rose laughed resting her head half on his chest as they continued their way up the stairs to their companions, and the TARDIS humming amusedly with them.

* * *

 

" _What's your name?"_

" _Cass."_

" _You're young to be crewing a gunship, Cass."_

" _I wanted to see the Universe. Is it always like this?"_

_He grinned to himself. "If you're lucky." He said._

_Already he was planning trips, all the places he could show her. He wouldn't just show this spunky young woman the Universe, but time as well._

_The door he'd tried to get open finally bent to his well, and he pulled her along. She stopped as they approached the TARDIS, and he sensed her reluctance._

" _Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside." He reassured._

" _What did you say? 'Bigger on the inside', is that what you said?" Cass demanded of him._

_It was the last somewhat civil conversation they had before she tore herself away and put the door between them. She'd called him a Dalek, saying there was no difference between them and Time Lords at this point. The time war was destroying everything, everywhere, everywhen, and he was starting to see that maybe not everyone believed there was a proper side to be fighting on._

_She declared it good he would die with her, smiling with satisfaction as the critical alarms grew louder more persistent._

_Coward that he was, when she turned her back, he went for his TARDIS. He could go back, change things, do something to stop this from happening, sod the paradox. He only just had his foot over the threshold when the ship crashed._

_He awoke his his back against a rock and his mind reeling. He could feel his hearts were unsteady but strong, his body on the cusp of regeneration, though it was unlikely going to get there. He could feel the haze of a healing coma willing him back._

" _Cass." He murmured, opening his eyes to see an older looking woman dressed in red. "If you're referring to your companion, we are still attempting to extract her from the wreckage."_

" _She wasn't my companion." He countered._

" _She's almost certainly dead." The woman said. "No one could survive that crash."_

" _I did." He said, looking her in the eye._

" _No, we restored you to life, but it's a temporary measure."_

" _No," he said, getting to his feet, looking down at her. "How stupid do you think I am? I'd know if I died. You pulled me out of a healing coma." He looked around, snorting with laughter as he realized where he was. "I'm back on Karn. Which would make you the Sisterhood of Karn, keepers of the Flame of Utter Boredom."_

" _Eternal life," the woman, Ohila, he now recalled, got to her feet as well._

" _That's the one." He said, feeling a wave of fatigue threaten him. He had to find out what they wanted, and soon, before he fell into the coma at the mercy of these fools who dared try to lie to him. "What do you want from me?"_

_She had the decency to bow her head. "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all of reality. You are the only hope left."_

" _It's not my war," he said firmly. "I will have no part of it."_

" _You can't ignore it forever." Ohila insisted._

" _I help where I can, I will not fight." He insisted as he went to leave._

" _You are part of this, Doctor, whether you like it or not." Ohila stated, giving him pause. "If the young Razbahonion you crashed with could speak, what would she say?"_

_He snorted, "To me? Nothing. I'm a Time Lord, everything she despised." He said, the word leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't want to be hated for his species, felt it unjustified when he was so adamant not to join the war._

_And where did that get him?_

" _She would beg your help, as we beg your help now. The universe stands on the brink, will you let it fall?" Ohila sounded desperate, and just as he was about to counter her with derision, a group of the sisterhood came toward them, carrying a battered and broken, completely lifeless Cass in on a stretcher._

_She'd have had a family, maybe a lover. She only joined the war to see the Universe, and now the risk ran that there wouldn't be a universe left._

" _No." He said. "I will not."_

" _We have prepared potions, ones that would trigger a regeneration, guide it to what you need. If you wish to …."_

" _No, Sister Ohila." He snapped at first, then turned to look at her with all the politeness he could muster. "If I am to do this, I will enter the war as myself: a good man. Or, at least, as good a man as I have ever been. If the universe needs the Doctor, then I shall tend to it as myself." He turned away moving to the altar where the women placed Cass's body. "Ensure she has a proper send off." He asked._

Cass, I apologize _, he thought to himself as he stroked her cheek. Another wave of fatigue hit him, and he knew he couldn't stay another moment._

_Stumbling all the way back to the TARDIS, he was thankful the doors opened up for him. Inside, in place of his arm chair, was a very low cot, and he gratefully laid on it. A beat later, he was falling into the coma._

The Doctor bolted up in the dark room, heaving in air as he struggled to against the memory. He didn't mean to drift, but it happened. He didn't mean to remember that day, though knowing he'd just seen himself before it happened meant it came to the forefront.

He looked down at Rose, seeing her sleeping soundly, undisturbed by his recollection, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Stretching out beside her, he curled into her, relishing in her heat, happily allowing her mind to brush against his. The Doctor closed his eyes, willing himself to be still and wait out the next hour before she woke up.


	13. The Pandorica pt 1

River Song walked into the Maldovarium, looked around, and spotted him instantly. Smiling, both at the familiar face and all the prospects simply seeing him held, she took a second to straighten out her cleavage. She took a quick moment to check her hair and teeth in a gold, reflective surface, than headed for his table.

He was flirting with the server before he noticed River, and then simply dismissed the member of the staff before standing and greeting her with a smile.

"River." He greeted with his licentious smile, arms open to welcome her.

"Jack," She said, as she stepped into his embrace. His kiss was not unexpected and entirely appreciated.

Still holding on to her hand as they stepped apart, Jack waited for River to sit before settling back into his seat. "I know you said that this wasn't meant to be a social rendezvous, but I ordered that wine you like so much." He said as he gave a slight wave to someone she couldn't see.

"Thank you, darling." She said, giving his hand a squeeze and staring into those perfect blue eyes across the way. "When did I get you in your time stream?"

"Well, Ianto wasn't too pleased to know I was coming out to see you, but he understood." Jack said with a shrug, and River studied his face carefully.

There were slight lines around his eyes, whispers of gray at his temples. He may have still been with Ianto, but he wouldn't be for much longer. He'd told her once that he allowed himself to age a bit as they got older so neither would have to think much about Jack's immortality.

"Not too soon," She said as she reached across the table for his other hand, sliding her fingers up to his wrist. "To ask if I could have this."

Jack looked down to where River's fingers caressed his vortex manipulator.

He smirked. "Is that what you want from me, River? Time travel?"

"Well," She said, trying not to match his expression. "It is my primary reason for seeking you out. But, if we can come to some kind of agreement."

"Oh, I think we could." He said, taking a sip of his drink of his dark amber liquid just as River's wine was set down. She pulled her hand back from the manipulator to take her glass in hand, though their other hands remained joined. Jack caressed her fingers while she sipped the cool, crisp pinot. "What do you need it for?" He asked softly.

"I received a call from Winston Churchill." She said softly. "I believe the TARDIS rerouted him to my phone, to make sure the Doctor and Rose wouldn't know …."

"Wouldn't know?" He pushed gently.

"About the painting."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her.

"The painting … of the Pandorica."

* * *

 

Rose stirred from slumber, stretched, and felt the long, lean body of the Doctor pressed as close to her as he could.

"Hello," He said in her ear, and it took her a moment to reconcile his new voice.

"Hello," She said.

"I snuck out to the galley to make you tea. The TARDIS moved the tray of it in here for you, though. Won't say why, but I will say that maybe we need to replace a few mugs. Not yours though, I caught that one."

Rose chuckled in her chest before she turned on her side to kiss him good morning. She noted the haunted look in his eyes when she pulled back, made a bit worse by his more youthful face. "You had a nightmare last night." She said as she brushed his long bangs from his face.

"More like a memory." He said with a put on smile. That had changed as well. Whereas before he could fake even the mania in it, this was too sad. "I recalled where I was going next after I met us."

"And where was that?" Rose asked, nearly certain she already knew the answer.

He looked at the space between them, though there wasn't much. "Do you remember what I told you about Cass?"

It took her a moment to search her memory, but eventually she stumbled across it in her mind. "You did what you could." She soothed him, running a hand over neck and cheek.

"Yes, I have long come to terms with that. She wasn't entirely wrong, of course. Not then, not now. The Time Lords were becoming as bad as the Daleks near the end. I just wish she could have put aside her hatred long enough to let me save her."

"You can't save everyone," She said softly.

"I know." He kissed her forehead, and the two took a moment to just revel in their closeness, enjoying the comforting presence of each other.

As she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the center of the Doctor's chest, the TARDIS sent Rose a nudge in her mind. She did a little rearranging, and whenever they were ready, Rose could get to a task she had had in mind since the day before.

"Right," Her husband said, bouncing off the bed with eagerness. "Let's get you some … where did your tea tray go?" He wondered looking around the room, stumbling a bit as he turned about.

"She moved it." Rose said simply as she pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the side.

"Now why would she do that?" He said as he went for the bedroom door and opened it.

He stiffened, and Rose passed by him and entered the wardrobe without hesitation. She noticed the armchair set up with a small table holding the tea tray beside it, and made a beeline for the comfortable looking spot.

"What exactly is this about?" The Doctor asked, eventually following her inside.

"Told ya, you aren't keeping the clothes. They're not yours, and you have enough. Sure you can find an outfit in here you'd like."

He stared at her for the longest time, and she felt him probing her mind in search of the punchline. When it seemed he couldn't find one, she felt his mischievousness before the matching grin curled his lips.

"Alright," He said as he shrugged off his jacket. "But I'm keeping the bow tie. It's cool."

"Is it your bow tie?" She challenged with and arched brow. He blushed. "You can have _a_ bow tie, but you need to choose one from here."

"Fine," he huffed. "But I want suspenders." He said, pointing at her as if she was going to argue the point.

"Never said you couldn't." She countered as she fixed her tea. "I never said you had to change how you dress, just what you dressed in."

"Alright," He sighed, venturing into the wardrobe.

She took a sip of her tea as she looked at the things immediately around her. His old leather jacket, ties he used to wear, various oxfords with the odd one having an embroidered question mark on the collar. His old clothes carefully set aside and away from the rest of the massive wardrobe to prevent any companions from wearing them. Not like most of his previous outfit choices would be one anyone would make, but she still like the idea that they were meant only for them.

Plopping in the chair, Rose reached up and fingered his absurdly long scarf as she sipped her tea.

She finished her cup as she listened to her husband cursing and grumbling as he went through articles. She'd caught flashes of pieces he was drawn to, but he would tuck the thought away before she could really see them. She made a second cup, contemplating putting on his multi-colored jacket to stay warm, when she heard his heavy foot fall coming toward her.

Her throat tightened at the sight of him.

" _I meet you? Properly meet you when you change?" She asked, trying to be subtle in her curiosity._

_The light in the Doctor's eyes told her he knew what she was fishing for. "You're still with me now." He said._

The memory from all that time ago was crystal clear to her now as he stood before her in still too-short black trousers that she remembered fit well over his backside. She spotted the clips of the suspenders on the waist band, but the demanded accessory was hidden under the grayish-purple waist coat. The light gray oxford helped the new purple bow tie pop, and she was curious how it all looked together with the long, purple wool jacket he had slung over his shoulder.

He smiled nervously despite the twinkle in his eye that proved he knew she liked it.

"Admittedly, these all do fit better." He said, gesturing to his outfit with his free hand. "Wasn't sure about the color, but the only other jacket I had like this was green, and I wasn't sure…."

"You look amazing," Rose cut him off, setting her cup down and getting to her feet. She moved toward him, running her hands over his shoulders, down the front of his chest. "Exactly how I met you before. And the color brings out your eyes." She said as she looked him over again.

His smile grew more confident. "You didn't see me like this." He countered. "I went to see you in the other outfit."

"What?" She asked, furrowing her brow. "No, was like this. Memory was still fuzzy until now."

"When did I see you if not before we met?" He asked, his confusion making hers that much more.

"You came to see me before we met?" She countered. She tried to think when she may have seen his face before. She really couldn't think of a time.

He shrugged, "I missed you." He said, the same reason he gave her when he came to her in 1969.

She smiled gently, getting up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips.

The Doctor sighed, moving his free hand to her waist to hold her as she threaded her fingers through the hair. He deepened the kiss, and she was forced to step back.

"How long before Rory and Amy wake up?"

"Long enough." He said, dropping his newly selected jacket to the floor, "that we don't have to worry about them for a little while." He said as he backed her up to the chair.

* * *

 

River sipped her wine as Jack looked at the painting, eyebrows raised mouth partially open in shock.

"Is that …?"

"The TARDIS in the background? I believe so." River replied. "Legend has it that the thing inside it …."

"Was helped by a wolf. That it was put there falsely, though there are other legends that said it was rightly placed there and freed when it shouldn't have been." He commented as he handed it back to her.

River took in the impressionist painting one last time before rolling it up. A gray cube with odd glowing green edges, and the TARDIS in the background exactly as Jack had pointed out. Though, admittedly, River didn't really see how the TARDIS seemed to be glowing. She couldn't really look past the eight menacing looking figures surrounding the cube.

"So what do the painting and manipulator have in common?" Jack asked.

"I did a bit of research before seeing you." She said as she tucked the painting away in her trandimensional clutch. "The Pandorica is legend, but there were accounts of Roman's discovering in 102 AD. Earth, obviously. I'm not entirely sure if the accounts are completely true, and I have a friend verifying it for me as best he can."

"Friend?" Jack said, eyebrow arched, amused grin in place. "That what you're going with?"

"Well, it's the most polite way to refer to him." She replied with a cheeky grin. "But, of course, there's no way to get to him at the point in time I contacted him at, or to get to the time period when the Pandorica is supposedly found."

"And you can't just ask the Doctor to take you there?" He asked.

"I'll contact him when I'm sure about things." River replied. "Either way, I want to be there as early as I can. Perhaps … lay some ground work to ensure an ease of getting to the Pandorica itself."

"Wish I could help," Jack said as he finished his drink.

"Me too." River said with a coy smile, eyeing the Captain over. "Things are always better when you're around."

"Well," Jack leaned in. "I did get a room in at the hotel across the way, just in case I was off a couple days. Maybe we can discuss the possibility of my sticking around a bit longer than I was planning, among other things."

River laughed flirtatiously. "Oh, I do love the way you think."

* * *

 

Rose finished pinning her hair up, checked her reflection one last time, and then left the bedroom. The Doctor promised to return the clothes he'd taken from the Leadworth hospital while she got dressed and ready for wherever they would head to next.

She headed into the console room, finding the door open. She stepped down and over to the console, glancing at the coordinates. Exactly where he said he'd be going.

"Doctor," She heard Amy call from the corridor. "I felt us land, where are we … oh." Rose turned around and noted Amy looked taken aback to see her there. The ginger looked around the room before crossing her arms and stepping down the stairs. "Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked without looking at her.

"Just stepped out a mo'." Rose said throwing a thumb over her shoulder toward the doors.

"Oh," Amy said, shifting slowly away from Rose.

It didn't go unnoticed that this was the most civil sounding conversation they'd had since Amy came aboard, and Rose smirked to herself at the thought.

"Right, so, everything's back as it should be." The Doctor declared as he entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind him. "And while I stepped out I received a message on the psychic paper. Coordinates, date and everything. Should go check it out. Oh, hello, Pond." The Doctor stopped as he came up beside Rose, smiling at Amy.

The ginger looked over the Doctor with wide eyes. "What happened to your clothes?"

The Doctor looked down, inspecting his outfit, not really finding anything wrong with it. He met her eyes with confusion.

" _Raggedy Man,_ " Rose said through their bond, and realization dawned on him.

"Right, yes. Well they weren't really mine, were they?" He replied cheerfully. "Best to bring them back, I think. Now, psychic paper, it says we need to go to…."

"This was your idea, wasn't it?" Amy rounded on Rose, but she didn't even flinch. Amy may have been taller, and her Scottish accent may have made her sound a bit intimidating (enough that the Doctor took a step back), but Rose simply tilted her head and observed. "Didn't like something about him so you went on and changed it, huh? Well let me tell ya something, Lady, if you really love someone you don't go on and change everything about'em. Next thing you'll be doing is tellin' him not to eat Fish Fingers and Custard."

"Ya quite done?" Rose asked calmly.

"No," Amy snapped, "Because ever since you woke up you've stood there and judged him and I don't care what Rory says or how you're only getting to know him, you're coming across as a nagging harpy and the Doctor doesn't need that." Amy finished with a nod, sizing up Rose's small frame.

"Right, done now, yeah?" She asked, and when Amy said nothing she took one step closer to her. "First, the Doctor picked those clothes himself. Yeah, I didn't want him wearing the clothes he had before, but they weren't his. Could cause problems for people if their clothes had gone missing, yeah? And he reverted the pockets back to normal, so we don't need to worry about that. Now, as for the rest of your … accusations, I guess, what makes you think I'm changing him? He's allowed to eat Fish Fingers and Custard until the end of time, if he chooses. Last body he ate jam out the jar with his fingers. Never stopped 'im then so long as it wasn't someone else's jam. Not judging him, I'm getting to know 'im. 'Magine waking up one morning and finding out Rory changed every single thing about 'imself. Still love him, he's still Rory, but now all these new things 'bout him take ya by surprise. Tellin' me you'd just shrug and not be a bit takin' aback? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you'd be going through same thing I am." She crept into Amy's personal space even as she heard Rory enter from the corridor. "Travel with us, if you want. But know this: you do not call the shots, Ginger. This is my TARDIS, that is my husband, and if you have even the slightest problem with how I am, or how we are, we'll bring you back to your life just when we plucked ya from it."

Rose stared her down, holding her eye and waiting for her prey to flinch and flee. It took a bit longer than she had expected, but eventually Amy looked at her feet and turned away to where Rory stood off to the side.

" _Was that necessary?_ " The Doctor grumbled.

" _Yes,_ " She replied as she joined him at the console. " _She's acting like a child who's not getting her way, and from the moment I woke up she's been trying to assert dominance. You are my husband, this is my home, and if she thinks for another moment that she has a say over either she needs to be corrected._ " The TARDIS hummed a strong affirmative, siding with Rose in an instant and causing her wolf to blush a bit. " _Fish fingers and Custard?"_

" _Sweet and savory."_ The Doctor replied, a small smile pulling at his lips as he quietly smacked them. " _Mmmm, fish custard."_

Rose chuckled out loud, glancing at her husband and shaking her head in amusement. "So where are we going?" She asked for the benefit of their guests.

"I don't know. Let's see where the coordinates lead us." He said as he threw the switch, the grinding noise of the engines just masking the growing argument behind her. She could sense Rory's frustration, Amy's annoyance, and glanced to the Doctor to see if he was noting anything that shouldn't be.

He was frowning, staring at the controls like he was deep in thought, but as soon as the TARDIS landed, he snapped out of it.

"Right-o, here we are. Let's see what's waiting for us."

Rose moved to his side, hand falling into his as they headed down the ramp and stepped out the doors.

An encampment spread out before them in a fairly flattened field.

"Where are we?" She asked her husband, looking up at him as he squinted at the scene around.

"Britain." He glanced at his watch. "102 AD, just before noon."

Well, it didn't look British. Looked more like ….

"That's the Roman Legion." Amy said with glee as she and Rory stepped out. She was at the Doctor's other side, Rory coming up beside Rose and appearing exasperated.

"Romans, excellent." He said. "Because that's exactly what we need to walk into."

"Invasion of the hot Italians? Why not?" Amy countered, looking up at the Doctor's confusion. "Favorite topic in school. Did get marked down for the title, though."

"Yes, well, we're British. Three of us, anyway, and we are standing on the outskirts of an encampment of the men looking to conquer Britain. Doesn't exactly seem smart." Rory pointed out, gesturing wildly at the scene in front of them just as a soldier started running toward them. "Oh, look, it's starting."

"Just, stay behind me, you'll be fine." Rose said, only half serious as she noted that the solider wasn't followed as he approached them.

He panted a moment before putting his fist to his chest. "Honored guests." He bowed, and Rose noted a smudge of lipstick on the corner of the soldier's mouth.

"You were expecting us?" Rose asked.

"Caesar and Cleopatra have been anticipating your arrival all day. Please, if you'll follow me."

Rose looked to her husband who merely shrugged before following the solider with a grin. Rose, still holding his hand, went as well, glancing over her shoulder to see their curious companions tagging along. Amy, of course, was more eager than Rory, but given her supposed love of Roman culture it wasn't surprising.

The solider led them to a large, fairly grand looking tent in the middle of the encampment. He drew back the curtain door, waving them through.

Inside, River was perched on a rather uncomfortable looking day bed. Servants waited on her, which only made sense since she was dressed like Cleopatra. And laying in her lap, allowing another servant to feed him, was Jack.

"What sorta trouble did you get into now?" Rose asked her with a cheeky grin.

"Nothing you wouldn't approve of." River replied with a wink.

"Well, that all depends." Jack said, turning his head to smile at Rose. "This gonna count as our honeymoon, Rosie?"

"Not on your life." She shook her head slowly, smile growing. "And what're you doing here?"

"When have you known me to refuse a gorgeous woman when she begs me to meet her somewhere?" He replied, earning a hard slap from River.

Setting aside the small cup she had in her hand, River clapped her hands and dismissed the servants, much to Jack's dismay. The servants set down whatever they were holding before bowing and leaving without a word.

The second they were alone, River reached down beside her and plucked up a rolled canvas.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked as he let go of Rose's hand and took the canvas gingerly.

"It's a painting from your friend Vincent. He had visions, didn't he?" River replied, a nervous twinkle in her eye as the Doctor unrolled the canvas.

"Blimey," Rose exclaimed as she caught sight of the dark, menacing looking figures. "Thought the Krafayis was bad."

"Impressionist painting certainly enhances the …." Rory didn't finish the sentence, opting to make a menacing looking face with his hands like claws by his face. Amy snorted, took a wrist in hand and Rory lowered both arms and relaxed his expression.

"That it does," Jack said as he got to his feet and moved to Rory with a charming grin and an extended hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Stop," The Doctor said without looking up from the painting in his hands.

"I'm only saying, 'hello,'" Jack said before looking to Amy. "Can't help it if you travel with such attractive folk."

River cleared her throat. "Jack?" She said pointedly, and he looked over his shoulder at her. She shook her head, scrunching her face a moment.

After a moment his eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, you must be Amy and Rory."

"Uh, yeah." Rory said as he finally took Jack's offered hand. "How did…? I'm confused."

"Spoilers." River said with a simple shrug of one shoulder.

"This painting of Vincent's, what's it called?" The Doctor asked, curious and weary at once. Jack seemed to get serious again, turning and crossing his arms as waited for River to explain.

" _The Pandorica Opens._ " River replied as she got to her feet and moved around a changing screen in the corner.

"The Pandorica?" The Doctor asked, eye brow arching. He took a couple steps toward the change screen, turned his back and said over his shoulder, "And why is this so important that you wanted us here?"

"There are accounts of the Pandorica all over space and time, as you already well know. But one thing I discovered in my research is its tie to the myth of Pandora."

"Like Pandora's box?" Amy asked, looking at everyone in the room when all eyes fell on her. "Was my favorite story growing up. 'Bout a girl that released all the evils from a box. Well, jar, actually."

"Yes," River said. "Except it's a matter of perspective. I had Tim look up what he could on it here, send me what he found. There were counts of Roman soldiers surviving the opening of the Pandorica. But they were sparse, hard to find, but I believe it actually influenced the Greek culture, inspired the story you came to know." She said as she stepped out from behind the screen in trousers and a warm looking sweater and jacket.

"Survive the opening?" Rory asked.

"It was supposed to have contained the greatest evil in the universe." Jack replied.

"Or multiple evils." Amy added in.

"It's a fairy tale," The Doctor interjected. "A story told to keep unruly children in line."

"And the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, some of the greatest creators of Earth fairy tales, weren't from Earth." River partially snapped. She then turned to Rose expectantly.

She smirked, wondering if this was routine for River. "Werewolves were legend, but we came across the Lupine in Scotland. Witches weren't real, but then we encountered the Carrionite. Might be worth a look, yeah?" She said to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He looked uneasy, glanced at his companions, to Jack, to River.

The Doctor seemed to think on it, and as he did, Jack moved to the change screen.

Rose, not wanting to break the silence, chewed her lip to keep from commenting on Jack's sudden use of modesty. When she glanced over and caught his eye over the top of the change screen, the glimmer there told her he knew she wanted to say something.

"Something feels off about all this." The Doctor said slowly.

"Which is more reason to go check it out," Amy interjected with a couple twitches of her eyebrows.

"Mmm," The Doctor hummed with a tilt of his head. He tapped his finger against his leg, glancing sideways at River. "You're sure that it's here?"

"Somewhere nearby, yes."

"And it's assumed that it's opening?" The Doctor contemplated.

"There are signals going through all of space and time, from what I can read." Jack said as he stepped out from behind the screen, fully dressed, including his long coat. He tapped his vortex manipulator. "Hard to read, encrypted, and I don't have the juice to try to hack it."

"Any idea of where it's transmitting from?" The Doctor asked, turning to Jack more fully.

"Not far from here." Jack said with a shrug. "Could saddle up some horses, track it that way?"

"Why use horses?" The Doctor asked. "Come along, you lot." He added as he turned abruptly, leading them out the tent. River followed close behind, Amy and Rory tailing her, and Rose held back a moment to have a second with Jack.

"He regenerated." He said simply.

"Yeah," Rose said, now knowing a bit more of where Jack was in his time line. Obviously not in line with her, and the couple gray hairs at his temples suggested a time with Ianto still around.

"How's the new model so far?" He asked, draping his arm around Rose's shoulders.

"Bit uncoordinated." She said, watching as the Doctor stumbled a bit climbing back up the hill. "Bit more odd than his last self, more alien I suppose. But it's only been a few days. I'll get used to it. New new new Doctor, after all." She paused, trying not to fidget as she asked, "How's Ianto?"

"Has his good days." Jack said. "Still refuses any treatments from outside his time line. Or alien. And it's not spreading, which is good, but it's not … he's not …."

"I'm sorry," Rose said, giving Jack a sideways hug as they went up the hill.

Jack sniffed, cleared his throat, and put on his best Harkness smile. "That's the thing about being immortal, Rosie. We out live everyone eventually. Doesn't matter how often we can go back in time, visit them in their prime, in the end there will be no more time left to steal."

Neither said anything more as they reached the top of the hill and walked into the TARDIS.

Rose could feel her discomfort more than usual when presented with Jack, like something else entirely was bugging her, but Rose couldn't figure out what.

"You redecorated." Jack said as he closed the doors behind him.

"You mean it didn't always look like this?" Amy asked as she moved for a jumpseat while the Doctor, Rose, River, and Jack took places around the console.

"Used to be kind of a grungy organic." Jack replied. "But I like this. Suits you." He added to the Doctor before he started to work the controls he was used to manning on their adventures. Rose and River followed suit as the Doctor searched for something under the console.

"Wait, hold on. He knows how to fly the TARDIS, too?" Amy asked, pointing to Jack as she addressed the Doctor.

"Jack, how long have you known us?" The Doctor asked absently as he continued his search.

"Over a few hundred years." Jack said without a beat. "But if you don't count the time we were all separated and you were avoiding me, just about a hundred."

"And we all know if we were to ask River that, she'll say 'Spoilers'," The Doctor said as he resurfaced with an end of a cord in his hand. He turned to Amy. "Frequent flyer privilege. Travel with us off and on for a few decades, we teach you how to fly the TARDIS. The only other person who knows how to that's not here is Jenny. Don't be offended that you didn't have a lesson." He said gently, and Rose noted the slight nod and understanding smile Amy gave him as Rory came to stand behind her. The Doctor then spun quickly on his heel. "Jack, your manipulator, if you would."

Jack removed it, tossing it to the Doctor. "What ya gonna do, Doc?" He asked.

"Going to use the signal you've been tracking to help land the TARDIS exactly where she needs to be." He replied as he attached the cord to the manipulator. He then set the device on a clear spot on the console before typing on the typewriter. He either didn't notice or ignored the uncomfortable hum of the TARDIS.

Rose rubbed the part of the console she stood in front of, looking to the ceiling in hopes she would be told what was wrong. The time ship said nothing, and partially blocked herself off from Rose when she went to inquire.

"Right, ladies, Jack, are we ready?" The Doctor asked as he put his hand on the dematerialization switch. He glanced around with a growing grin, getting their various gestures of confirmation. "Geronimo!" He cried before throwing the switch.

"Geronimo?" Jack asked with a grin. "What happened to 'Allons-y'?"

"Can't wrap my tongue around it. Sorta like I couldn't say Fantastic with my old teeth." The Doctor replied with enthusiasm.

The TARDIS landed smoothly, barely a jolt as she touched down in their new location.

"That was different." Rory said, slowly releasing his iron tight grip on the rail.

"Meant to be flown with six people." Rose said.

"Explains why landing in Venice meant nearly breaking my arm." Rory replied with a slight grin, and Rose's mouth contorted as she tried very hard not to laugh at the affronted look on the Doctor's face.

"Enough teasing the Time Lord, let's go see this box!" Amy eagerly jumped up from her seat and darted for the doors before the rest could move to follow.

As they came outside, Rose and the Doctor each stood on either side of Amy as she squinted through the wind whipping her hair around her face. There was a significant time change from where they were before. The sun was setting, giving them only just enough light to see.

"It's Stonehenge." She said unnecessarily, confusion and disappointment in equal parts.

"That it is, Pond." The Doctor said.

"Wasn't really expecting this." Jack commented from the other side of Rose.

"And what were you expecting?" The Doctor asked as he moved toward the stones. He stopped, turned to face them, long coat fluttering around his knees. "If the Pandorica is real, no one would leave it out in the open for any ol' anybody to find. They'd bury it. And if you bury something supposedly containing the greatest evil in the Universe, you'd want to remember where it is, wouldn't you?" He shouted back before turning and hopping somewhat ungracefully around the stones laying on the ground before pulling out his sonic.

"How come it's not new?" Amy wondered as they all started to move to join the Doctor, River moving a little further ahead as she pulled a scanner from her pocket.

"I think I remember hearing in school it was dated to somewhere around 2000 BC," Rory replied as he paused to run his hand over one of the standing stones. "You and the Doctor ever come back and watch the construction?" Rory asked Rose as she entered the circle.

"He decided one day that he would sorta watch it. Came back to the same day for years and sorta took a picture of the progress from inside the TARDIS. Just floated for a moment. Always said landing here might cause some sorta disruption."

"Never been able to land here properly," The Doctor interjected. "Tried in my eighth life with Samantha and didn't quite make it. Those snap shots are the closest I've ever gotten." He stood straight, looked at his sonic. "You were right, Jack. It's sending out a signal, but it's muddled. Hard to read. This isn't the source, just the transmitter."

"But there's nothing here." Rory said, looking around.

"Not up here." The Doctor said, mouth in a straight line. "We need to get below."

"Below?" Jack said.

"To the Underhenge." The Doctor replied.

"Give me a mo'," River said as she started typing on her scanner as she moved about.

Jack, in the meantime, started moving around the parameter of Stonehenge, placing something on the ground every few feet.

"So we're just gonna hang back, let them do their thing?" Rory asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Learned a long time ago best just to do that. Might be able to follow the tech, but gives me a headache." Rose replied.

Rory nodded. "Were you always modified, or was that something that happened while you were with him?" He suddenly asked, and Rose turned to toward him. In the very dim light, she noted the spark of fear in his eyes, the blush in his cheeks. "Sorry, I know it's rude. I just like to understand things. Doctor comes by, saves us from something called the Atraxi, and I started researching everything from aliens to time travel. I felt like I had a basic grasp on it all until we met you. A human, supposedly, but you heal fast and can't die."

"Well, I can die," Rose countered. "I just don't stay that way. And no, I wasn't born like this. It was something that happened when I was traveling with the Doctor but it wasn't something he did to me. More like something I …." Rose stopped. Her eyes had been wandering the area as she explained things, and in their light skim had noted something that she hadn't seen in a very long time. Moving toward a standing stone, her hand outstretched, she skimmed her fingers along the two words that made up her other name. "Something I did to myself." She said as she looked at the too-neat script.

A light came on over her shoulder, shining brightly on the words and startling her.

Whipping around, she spotted Jack nearby with a remote in hand. Around the structure were tall flood lights.

"Torchwood technology." Jack said as he gestured with the remote. "These will last about twelve hours. Hopefully we won't need them that long."

"Shouldn't really need them at all," River called. "I almost have access to the underhenge."

"You just want to show off." Jack countered.

"And you love it when I do." River countered with a wink.

"Oi, you two," The Doctor protested. "He's bad enough, don't need two of you."

Rose closed her eyes, trying very hard not to laugh, and caught the curious nudge in her mind from her husband. She shook her head, waved it off in her mind, and sent him affection to sooth him.

A moment later the ground vibrated lightly while the sound of tumbling stones drew her attention. She watched as one of the stones laying on the ground moved slowly to the side, revealing something that excited her husband, making him smile.

"The underhenge." He said with uncontained glee as he changed the settings on his sonic. The green light shone a little brighter as he moved to descend below. River withdrew a torch, quickly following him.

Jack reached in his pocket, withdrawing his own. "Need one, Rosie?"

She shook her head as she withdrew her own pocket size one in time with Rory pulling out his pen light.

"I'll take one, Captain." Amy said with a bit of flirt in her voice, a matching grin in Jack's direction as she jutted her hip toward him and extended her hand.

"You got it, Red." He said as she tossed her one.

Amy fumbled it a bit on the catch, but clicked her tongue and winked before following River and the Doctor with determination. The rest followed, but Rose paused a moment.

The TARDIS whimpered in her mind, but wouldn't reply when Rose asked what was going on. There was, however, an underlying feeling that Rose had rarely if ever really got from the Old Girl: fear.

"I'm going in after him," She said softly over her shoulder to the old blue box. "And we'll be back."

She tried to sooth the ship, but she sensed it wasn't really working.

So Jack wasn't really the problem, then. It was most definitely associated with the stone structure she'd managed to avoid for a good, long time. As Rose moved down the stairs, she considered how the stubborn thing was forced to land now. The manipulator, she supposed. A signal hard wired into her system, guiding the controls. Not like the TARDIS couldn't override those if she really wanted to, but given it really hadn't been that long since she was rebuilt maybe it was too much for her.

Rose couldn't contemplate on it any more as she heard doors creaking open at the bottom of the steps, and a collective gasp.

"It's the Pandorica." She heard her husband say with wonder, and she hastened her descent into the cavern.

Through the doors, she peaked the giant cube with circular markings on all sides. Not Gallifreyan, it looked more like some sort of circuit pattern. The surface itself looked stone, but if there was one thing Rose knew from all her travels was that not everything was as it appeared.

She was the last to enter the room, the other five having already formed a semi-circle around the cube.

"More than a fairy tale." River said with wonder, taking a step closer and placing her hand on it. "What did it say? The stories? What did they say were in here, exactly?"

"There was a goblin," The Doctor said as he walked around it, hand skimming the surface. "Or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared thing in all the cosmos, and nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it." He came around the front and looked Rose square in the eye. "One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"Not thinking it's you?" She asked, arching a brow.

"Sounds like something people would say about me. Destroyer of Worlds, remember? But no, no, I do not believe it is me. Well, I say that, but memory was always bad in the eighth life. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was trapped in it, still trapped in it, waiting to be released. Would have had to be released or else I wouldn't be standing here."

"Doctor," Rose said quietly, crossing the cavern to stand in front of her husband. She moved her mouth, but felt too many eyes on them for her to feel comfortable speaking out loud. " _I saw something outside._ " She told him, showing him the stone with the words etched in them. " _What if that goblin, or trickster, or warrior is me?_ "

He furrowed his brow. " _It's been a very long time since you were out of control of your wolf side. And even then, your hands weren't nearly as drenched as mine._ "

" _It's about perception,_ " She reminded him.

"So … this evil. How would it have ended up here if nothing could hold it?" Amy asked, seeming to fill in an uncomfortable silence that formed outside their bubble.

"You know fairy tales," The Doctor said, looking to their companion with a tiny smile. "A good wizard tricked it."

"Yeah, well, whatever this 'good wizard' did, it doesn't seem to be holding." Jack said, and Rose turned toward his voice. He was looking over River's shoulder at her scanner while she read it with wide eyes. "It's already opening."

A bolt of panic went through Rose, coming from the Doctor as he moved to the pair in a few quick steps.

River handed the Doctor the scanner to look at. "There are layers of security protocols in there," She said. "And they're being disabled. One by one, like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"Look at the security," The Doctor remarked with a mix of awe and concern. "Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines."

"Meaning?" Rose asked. "No deadlock means you can't open it with a sonic, but the rest?"

"A time-stop does just as it says: stops time. In there time is frozen, unmoving. Technology of the Time Lords used a bit too liberally as a way to hold prisoners of war in the Time War. Shouldn't have been any left off world before it was destroyed." The Doctor said as he narrowed his gaze on the cube. "Matter-lines mean there would be no teleporting out. Vortex manipulators, telemats, they all turn you into matter in order to displace you from one point to another. Matter-lines are a shield that prevents anything passing beyond. Whatever inside there is meant to never leave, and someone went through a great deal of trouble to ensure that could never happen." He stepped toward the box, admiring it like he would a dangerous alien he'd never encountered before. "Think of the fear that went into making this. What could inspire that level of fear?" He caressed the box, softly saying, "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"Okay, I would like to point out, now, that with everything you've been saying we should be properly worried about what's in there, yeah?" Rory asked, gesturing to the Pandorica with his pen torch. "It's opening, and someone went through a lot of trouble to make sure it couldn't. So we should probably be a bit more, I don't know, concerned about it, right?"

"You haven't been traveling with them that long, have you Rory?" Jack asked with a partial tease. "The best thing we can do right now is stay, wait for it to open, make sure that if it is dangerous it doesn't get out of this cavern."

"Right." Rory said, earning a giggle out of Amy as she moved around the cavern, shining her torch about.

"Think its opening's why the stones above are acting like transmitter?" Rose asked, looking at the tech savvy among them. "Doctor said they weren't the source, yeah? This it?"

River, Jack, and the Doctor all exchanged a loaded look before River went around the room with her scanner and placed them against the pillars. The Doctor soniced the Pandorica, while Jack removed his mobile from his long coat pocket.

"I'm getting very faint readings of alien life." Jack said, looking to the Doctor.

"This is the source of the signal." The Time Lord stated. "All of space and time, like Jack said. Likely why Vincent knew about it."

"But how could he know?" Amy asked.

"He saw things we could not, Amy. The signal could be heard in his dreams, floating on the peripheral of his mind. It's reaching everyone, everywhere, every when, and anyone with a sensitivity could …." The Doctor trailed off, turning abruptly to Rose. "Tim."

She furrowed her brow before she understood what he meant. "But he never said. When we saw him …."

"Might've been too early, or too late for him. Hard to say when this signal would reach him."

Without another thought, Rose reached in her pocket, pulled out her mobile, and dialed Tim's number.

"Hey, you've reached Timothy Latimer. I may be out of town for an undetermined amount of time, so if you want to leave your …." Rose hung up before his voice mail message could finish.

"Right." The Doctor said, sounding a bit defeated. "We are nearly nineteen hundred years in the past before he's even born. Might not be able to get him at any point in time properly." He turned to River. "I folded back the signal, do you have a read on who might have heard the call?"

"Give me a moment." She replied.

Rose could feel the Doctor's impatience growing, and she tried to sooth him as best she could, but her own stress was mounting by the moment.

"Doctor," Jack said, "I'm getting a clearer info on these readings. We're looking at invasion force numbers of alien life coming to Earth. I can't detect the life forms, but …."

"Ten thousand." River said, her voice barely audible. "There are ten thousand starships around the planet. At least."

"At least?" Amy asked, moving to Rory's side.

"Too many readings." Jack said, typing furiously against his screen.

"I'm getting a transmission," River said, "Hold on," She pushed a couple buttons, and waited.

"MAINTAING ORBIT." The all too familiar voice made Rose's heart stop.

"I OBEY. SHIELD COVER COMPROMISED ON ION SECTORS."

"Pepper pots." Rory said breathlessly.

"Daleks," Amy said, her hand dropping into Rory's. "Those are Daleks."

More of the transmission played, but Rose ignored it, moving to her husband and clasping his hand as she looked into his eyes.

"Okay," He said with relative calm. "Dalek fleet. Minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth. But we've got surprise on our side. They'll never expect six people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships."

"Not just Daleks up there." Jack said, fear palatable in his voice. "Cyber-ships."

The Doctor perked up. "Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other."

"'Cause that worked out brilliantly last time we did that," Rose snapped through her own panic.

"And how would Sontarans factor into that equation?" Jack asked, glancing between them and his phone. "Or the Slitheen family of Raxocoricoflabitorius? What about the Nestene, the Sycorax, Zygons, Atraxi? Because they're all here, just over head, and getting closer."

"Lovely, sounds like a right party. Got some anti-plastic in any of those pockets? Vinegar? A satsuma to toss around?"

The Doctor dropped her hand and moved to the stairs leading back above ground.

Rose followed, feeling all of the hairs on her arms stand on end as she went out to stand beside him in whatever likely idiotic thing he planned to do.

Once above, he moved to stand on the stone that had been covering the staircase. His thoughts moving too fast for her to follow, she watched as he looked to the sky with a pensive expression. Dimly, there were lights above them too big and bright to be stars, and she gritted her teeth at their meaning. The Doctor then pointed his sonic at a stone.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked.

"It's a transmitter, I'm just refocusing its source." He said, and a few seconds later, the whir of the sonic silenced. He cleared his throat, and it echoed around them as he put on a smile that was recognizable regardless of the body. "Hello, Stonehenge," He called out like a rock star. "I know why you're all here, you lot. Whoever takes the Pandorica, takes the Universe. Well, bad news, everyone, 'cause guess who got here first. So, question of the hour is who's coming to take it from me?" He said, extending his arms in a wide gesture toward the sky. "Come on, look at me! No plan, no weapons, and as far as you lot are all concerned, nothing to lose. So if you're sitting there in your silly spaceship with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you. And then, _and then_ , do the smart thing: let somebody else try first." He hit a button on the sonic, holding his arms outstretched before hoping off the stone and heading back to the underhenge.

Rose stood stunned, trying to decide if what he'd just done was brilliant or stupid, and when she couldn't decide she followed him.

"What in the bloody hell was that?" She lashed out, deciding in the moment that stupid was the right choice.

"Inside the Pandorica is force field technology. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge, buy us a half hour." He said as he moved for the box with his sonic extended.

"And what after the half hour, eh Doctor?" Rose huffed. "What then? Just me and you here, sure. We can face down all our enemies."

" _My_ enemies." He tried to counter.

" _Our_ enemies." She snapped back. "We could even do it with just Jack, but we got others to think about. We have people out of their time."

"Think I don't know that?" He bit out quietly. "Rose, I'm painfully aware we have people here who are important, who need to exist. And I know, I _know_ it looks grim. But I have a plan." He turned to her as best he could while holding the sonic to the Pandorica, gripping her shoulder. "If I can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home."

"You believe that?" Rose asked, arching a brow.

"No, not really. But what would we do if we didn't hope?" He asked, a sadness in his eyes. " _I never changed emergency program one. Could you adjust it to June 25th, 2010, Leadworth? Around 11pm?"_

" _Of course."_ Rose replied through their bond.

"Sweetheart, could you run to the TARDIS and get the extrapolator for me, please?"

"'Course." She said with a nod.

"And Rosie," Jack said, getting her attention. He smiled sadly, an understanding his blue eyes. "Mind getting my vortex manipulator?"

"I'll grab it for you." River said.

Rose nodded, and gestured for River to follow her above ground.

On the surface, it seemed the wind was blowing stronger than before. Rose looked up, seeing those too-bright stars just a touch bigger and brighter. A half hour might not be enough time.

She turned to the TARDIS, seeing River fit a key in the door. She didn't ask, knew she didn't have to, though she didn't recall River ever mentioning having one. She supposed it didn't matter, and maybe was even for the best. She could take this TARDIS, if she truly was as important to them as she believed. This beautiful time ship wouldn't have to collect dust and die.

Stepping inside after River, Rose took another long look around in case she didn't make it back inside after this.

She moved up the ramp, running her hand along the rail.

She just made it to the top when she heard the lock latch behind her. Whipping her head toward the doors in confusion, she was about to move toward them when she heard the grind of the engines start up behind her. Whirling around, ready to give River a lecture, she noticed the curly-haired woman wasn't near the console.

"What the bloody hell?"


	14. The Pandorica pt 2

Rory watched the brief flicker of confusion come and go over the Doctor's face when the sound of the TARDIS was barely audible. He imagined if he hadn't been so close to the stairs he'd never have heard it himself. As it was, Jack and Amy didn't seem alerted by it at all. The former was using River's scanner on the Pandorica, the latter still sort of mulling about the cavern.

Maybe he should ask, but then again maybe the Doctor didn't know. Maybe his immortal wife just ran off like Amy had on him. Well, that wasn't really fair. He could tell they likely had some sort of telepathic talk before Rose and River left, maybe he asked her to leave. Maybe he asked her to take River, too. Maybe River was telepathic and heard the escape plan. It did sound bad, after all. All the enemies of the Doctor coming to this single point in time, and he threatened them.

And what was it with this alien? The Doctor was one guy, one human looking Time Lord guy, and he was supposedly a big enough deal to take on, what? The Psycho Pepper Pots? The Murderous Robots? That eye thing that came for Prisoner Zero? He didn't want to know what a Zygon or Sycorax was, but was sure it wasn't good. And yeah, sure, okay, so maybe he stopped the Atraxi before and did so by asking "Is this world protected?" But Rory still had to wonder what he had, or what he had done, to draw such attention. The Doctor said he was known as the Destroy of Worlds, but why was that?

"You're awfully quiet." Amy said, startling him as she came up beside him.

"Yeah. Just, you know, thinking." Rory replied.

"About what?" She asked, bumping his hip with hers. She seemed to notice he was watching the Doctor. "You don't think he can pull this off."

"I don't know what to think, Amy." He said quietly. "We barely know him."

"You barely know him," She countered with a bit of a pout.

"Like a couple more days and an obsession lasting your childhood grants you so much more knowledge of him." He countered. "You know what I know, just likely learned it faster." He huffed, watching the Time Lord as he moved to Jack, looking over the Captain's shoulder at the scanner. "I'm just a little worried we won't make it out of this. I remember the invasion with the robots and the pepper pots." He said, his throat growing tight.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat as he remembered being terrified. Remembered wondering what in the blazes was happening as he hid with a few other students while the "ghost" on that floor went searching for people to upgrade or delete. One moment they were terrified as a robot stood over them with its hand extended, the next it blinked out of existence. The next thing he did was call his parents, who he knew were visited by one of those things regularly. His Dad hadn't been home. His Mom….

"Rory," Amy said gently, squeezing his shoulder. "The Doctor _will_ get us out of this." She assured him.

He nodded, then leaned his head against hers.

"Hey, Rory." Jack got his attention. "Mind going for a little walk with me?" He asked, pointing above ground.

Rory didn't really want to. There were deadly aliens up there.

"Go on," Amy said, giving him a slight push and an encouraging smile. "Not like there's much going on down here. Doctor just poking at the box with the sonic, waiting for Rose and River."

"Are you sure?" He asked. Amy just nodded, eyes wide as if maybe he was somehow embarrassing her by asking. He turned to Jack. "Lovely night for a stroll." He said, flopping his arms against his legs before gesturing with both hands to the stairs. Jack snickered but said nothing as they headed up the stairs and out into the night where homicidal aliens waited in the sky to strike them all down.

* * *

 

"No, no, no, no, what're ya doing?" Rose cried to the ceiling as ran for the controls.

"I didn't touch anything," She heard River say softly. The poor thing was stunned, staring at the controls with her hands by her head.

"I know you didn't, River. I wasn't asking you." She half growled as she looked at the ceiling with a glare. "The Doctor needs me, turn around!"

The TARDIS didn't listen, her hum almost a plea as if she was begging Rose to just listen to her. When the TARDIS landed with a shudder, Rose peeked at the monitor.

"Leadworth, 1998." She said softly in confusion.

"Where … Amy and Rory grew up." River said, seeming to catch herself from saying something else.

"Why would she take us here?" Rose asked quietly, moving for the doors. She heard River following as she opened them and peeked outside.

It was a sunny day, sometime in the afternoon, and the smell of chips filled the air. Rose looked about, noting children and adults moving up and down what looked like a small main street, going in and out of shops and heading to a small park to sit in the warmth and have a treat.

One particular little girl caught her attention as she seemed to see Rose for a moment. She did a double take, her red hair slapping against her face as her little head whipped around. The woman with the dark hair that walked beside her but didn't hold her hand hadn't seemed to notice.

"It's Amy." River said with awe.

"Amy?" Rose watched as the woman took her into a chippy. The TARDIS hummed in encouragement. "I'm feeling like a nibble. Fancy, some chips, River?'

She didn't wait for an answer before Rose checked for traffic then darted across the road.

It hadn't really been the case, but once inside, Rose couldn't help moving right from the door to the counter. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of wild curls and knew to get two orders of chips.

As she waited for their order, Rose watched where Amelia sat with the older woman. She strained to hear what they were talking about, but found she was still too far away.

River stood nearby, nervously watching the young version of Amelia, chewing her lip. When the chips came up, the booth beside the little ginger's freed up.

It would have been risky for Amy to see either of them, but Rose still opted to sit with her back to her. Rose watched the way River slid in across from her, bowed her head but could barely keep herself from staring at Amy.

"And Melody, she just stood up and told those jerks 'you don't know about the Doctor'." She heard the little Scotswoman say. "'S nice to have her, and Rory. They believe me, or at least pretend to. Maybe when he comes back he'll take them, too."

"Amelia," The woman said kindly. "Remember, there is more to the Universe than the Doctor. What have you been learning in school? What have you been reading?"

"Well," Amelia replied, a pause as though she was thinking about it. "We recently started learning about Greek Mythology. It's very interesting. My favorite is Pandora's box."

"Pandora's Box?" The woman asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. It's about a woman who opened a box she shouldn't have, and let out all sorts of bad stuff." Amelia paused. "Maybe the Doctor could take me to it one day."

The woman chuckled. "Maybe he will."

Rose picked at her chips, watching River as she barely touched hers. She seemed lost in thought, staring off into the distance.

"Miss Smith," Amelia started, her voice lower than it was before. "Why do you believe me about the Doctor? No other grown up does. Really, it's Just Mels and Rory that do, so why do you?"

"Let's just say, Amelia, that you aren't he only one waiting for him to show up." Miss Smith replied, a strange sort of edge in her voice that Rose couldn't place and didn't like. It made the hairs on her arm rise, her fight instincts tickle. She tried to look over her shoulder in hopes to maybe get a look at the woman who accompanied Amelia, but the brunette slid away. "Come on, Amelia. Why don't we go talk in the park? Tell me more about the box."

Rose caught Amelia shrug, take the remainder of her chips, and followed the woman out the chippy. The door closed behind them with a chime, and Rose watched through the window until the disappeared into the park.

"Her favorite story." River said softly, pulling Rose's attention. "Amy's favorite story as a child, _Pandora's Box._ Something that held all the evils in the world. Maybe the Universe…."

Rose's mind ran the possibilities as River spoke. "And Romans were her favorite topic."

"Is it just me or does it seem like maybe something or someone knew Amy well enough to possibly use her interests to lure us all there."

"Not us," Rose realized with a bolt of cold fear. "Him. The Doctor."

She bolted, chips forgotten as she ran out the chippy and across the street, ignoring the angry protest of the horn from the car that almost hit her. She moved into the park, looked around, but couldn't spot Amelia or the woman anywhere.

Miss Smith.

How could she be so stupid? And who was to say that Amy wasn't helping this mysterious woman in some way?

All her protesting, trying to get the Doctor to bow to her whim, wanting all of his attention. She didn't complain about being left at Stonehenge with him despite the deadly threats that loomed above them. Maybe it was because she simply wasn't in any danger.

Not if this was all a trap for the Doctor.

"Rose!" River called to her, and Rose turned to see her standing by the TARDIS.

"We're going back." She said firmly, hands curling into white-knuckled fists as she moved back to the time ship. She managed to uncurl one hand long enough to snap her fingers with a loud click, and she stormed inside.

"What's going on? What are you thinking?" River asked as she followed Rose inside.

"Same thing you are, River. That the Doctor's in danger. Been a long time since we took a weasel on board, only this time it's not 'cause she got a bloody door in her head."

"What are you going on about?" River asked as Rose angrily inputted controls and ignored the TARDIS's attempts to calm her.

"Amy and her leading the Doctor to that bloody box." Rose said as she flicked a switch hard enough to hurt. She gritted her teeth through the pain as she moved to the coordinates.

"We all encouraged him. You, me, Jack, we all wanted him to go, too." River tried to reason.

"Yeah, but who loved those stories as a child? Who made enough of an impression on him that he went back for her?" She asked as she paused by the dematerialization switch.

"He went back for you, too." River countered like a small child. It made Rose pause. "He goes back for the ones who matter. He went back for you, he gave Tim a second chance, Donna, Jack. He goes back for the ones who matter, who are entwined with his time stream whether or not he realizes it. Those who are going to be or are important to him he always goes back for, and Amy is one of them."

Rose met River's pleading gaze, trying to see it her way, but could only manage a partial understanding.

"Which is why she would be the perfect bait and lure for someone who's been hunting the Doctor." Rose countered.

"But why do you think this is all a trap for him?" River asked. "The Pandorica is said to already contain the greatest evils in the universe."

"And right now, in 102 Ad, there are armies of the Doctor's enemies all getting ready to take the box. The greatest evils in the Universe, River, share a common enemy. And do you remember how the story of Pandora's box ends?"

River seemed taken aback, thought about the answer as her mouth moved silently. "The only thing left in the box was hope."

"Hope, River. With all those evils out there, who all think the Doctor the enemy, what does he bring those who the evils wish to destroy? Hope." She flipped the switch, and the engines of the TARDIS roared to life as she moved around to River. "Sorta ironic, yeah? They think they're containing the bad, when really their just going to trap the good."

"So we go back, get him, and run." River said with a confident nod.

"No, we're going to go there and make sure they know not to mess with him like that again."

River scoffed. "That's mad. Armies, Rose, of everyone who's ever hated the Doctor. We can't win this, let alone fight it."

"We have to try." Rose asserted kindly, putting a hand on River's shoulder. "Where would we run?"

"How would we fight?"

"The Pandorica may be opening up in 102 AD, but that doesn't mean they can't try it again at any point in time in the future, or move it to the other end of the Universe if they have to. And as long as Amy's with us, the Doctor will find his way to it, I'm sure of it."

"Rose." River gripped the hand resting on her shoulder, pleading with her eyes once more. "I know you don't properly know me, I know that it's still very early for you, and no matter how many times you visited Jenny and spoke to me you still don't _really_ know me. But trust me when I say that Amy is _not_ the enemy."

"I'm not sure I can." Rose replied gently. "It's all too coincidental."

"Rose, please." River asked with a squeeze, and Rose felt herself slowly giving in.

A second later, the two women were tossed to the floor, sparks flying from the console, and the TARDIS screeching a pained and frustrated hum.

Rose scrambled, grabbing hold of the console to pull herself up and keep her balance as the Old Girl was tossed about. "What is it? What's going on?" She asked as she scrambled as best she could over to the monitor. She read the findings, only partly translated from Gallifreyan as the TARDIS fought against whatever was pushing at her.

"What's happening?" River asked as she used the rail to pull herself up.

"Somethings preventing the TARDIS from landing." Rose replied, shaking her head as she frowned, trying to understand. She could feel her mind searching the database of her memories and knowledge for a possible clue, and when it came to her, her stomach lurched. "Matter lines." Rose muttered.

"What?"

"The Doctor, he said the Pandorica's internal security had matter-lines. Prevention of matter to leave the range of its security. Likely made to prevent anything from materializing inside that range as well."

"Okay." River said.

"He was gonna expand the range before we left." She said, bowing her head. "Think he did it."

"Alright," River said with a confident nod. "So we land outside the range and ride to him. Get some horses and get there. Or we land the day before all this and hide out, wait for us to get there."

"We're already part of events, River." Rose reminded her. "We didn't feel another TARDIS. Not to mention if we stepped foot anywhere at all near where our other selves were, brushed them by accident, we'd have reaper bringing consequences."

"So what do we do?" River asked.

Rose huffed a sigh, closed her eyes, and took a moment to consider. "We keep trying. Said it would only buy him half an hour. Has to end at some point, yeah?"

* * *

 

The wind wasn't quite as bad away from Stonehenge, but then again there weren't alien space ships flying over their heads.

"Here," Jack said, and Rory whipped around to look at the Captain, then down to his extended hand and the gun he was offering.

"Seriously?" Rory asked, hesitation preventing him from reaching for the offered weapon.

"Honestly, it won't do us any good if we meet a Dalek or a Cyberman, but it's better than nothing." Jack said with a nonchalant shrug before offering the gun again. Rory took it gingerly, looking it over. The metal was cool against his hand, felt heavier than he expected. "Only has five rounds in it."

"Right." He said, adjusting his hold on the gun before lowering it to his side.

"And don't get too trigger happy." Jack said. "I read we had something like twelve heading our way, split in two parties."

"Okay," Rory said, following Jack as he kept moving. "Wait, twelve what?"

"Not sure." Jack admitted. "But they're on foot heading toward the Pandorica, and they're alien."

That caught Rory up short, and he stopped and gaped at Jack until the other man also paused and turned to see why Rory wasn't moving.

"You asked me to come up here knowing we were going to face deadly aliens head on, and you didn't tell me?"

"Would you have come?" Jack asked. Rory didn't answer.

Would he have? Not bloody likely, no matter how much Amy egged him on to go. At least until she volunteered to go herself. Then he would have insisted she stay behind with the Doctor, where she at least stood a chance of being safe.

Jack smiled like he could read Rory's mind. "She's worth dying for, isn't she?" He asked.

"Yeah." Rory replied. Because to him, Amy was. She was worth everything, even if his own value in her eyes didn't quite equate. Taking a deep breath, he closed the distance between he and the captain, and the two of them continued onward.

Rory scanned the horizon, looking for the trouble Jack picked up, and noted a small cluster of silhouettes.

"Are those the Romans?" He asked, pointing toward them with the hand not holding the gun.

Jack shrugged. "Could be."

"But they're human. They look human." He tried to reason.

"The Doctor looks human." Jack reminded him.

That was true.

The closer they got, the more Rory could make them out in the moon light. Romans, definitely the Romans. Relaxing a bit, Rory held the gun a little looser in his hand.

"Gentlemen," Jack said with a wide, disarming grin. "Wonderful night we're having here. What are you doing way out …."

_Bang!_

The Roman in front, because that was how Rory was still thinking of them, shot Jack in the head with his hand. _His hand_. Fingers dropping off, barrel in the center, shot Jack dead.

"Oh, God." Rory said, tightening his grip on his gun.

It sort of happened in a slow motion. He turned to the Roman thing that shot Jack just as it turned to him. He raised his hand and fired, hitting it in the head. It dropped. He shot at the others just as they turned, surprised by his own speed as they would sort of stagger back and fall. He tried to fire, keep firing, only to find that he was out of bullets and the Roman things were just getting back up. He was ready to face his end, bringing Amy to front of his mind, when a blast sounding suspiciously like a laser fired at one of them, and it turned into a pile of goo.

Rory looked around frantically to see the previously dead but now very much alive Jack Harkness firing a space gun at the Roman things and essentially melting them, leaving only piles of the uniforms and swords remaining.

When the scene went quiet except Rory's panting, he walked up to Jack and put his hands over his chest.

"If you wanted to cop a feel, all you had to do was ask." The Captain said with a grin probably used to get people in bed. Admittedly, Rory might have actually been charmed by it if it weren't for the fact that this guy was dead just a moment ago.

A heart, just one, beat within Jack's chest, pulse steady. Rory looked up where Jack had been shot, finding nothing wrong with him.

"Okay." He said, taking a step back. "Does the Doctor only travel with immortals, or do you become one after a certain amount of time in the TARDIS?"

"Actually, it was Rose that did this to me." Jack replied with a casual shrug. "But that's a story for another time. Come on, the rest of the Autons are going to be coming here soon. They're a stupid bunch, all we have to do is drop trou and put on these, they'd never know the difference."

Rory watched as Jack shrugged off his jacket, pushed off his suspenders. He looked about to see if there was any form of coverage and saw none.

"You're serious? Out here?" Rory asked as Jack started undoing his belt.

"Nothing you got that I ain't seen before, even if you had two." He said with a wink.

"I'm normal down there, thank you." Rory said as he pulled his vest off roughly. "And exactly how undressed do you think you need to be in these things?"

"Sorry," Jack said as he undid the cuffs of his shirt. "I often forget that not everyone goes commando."

At that, Rory promptly turned around. He didn't need to see that. Nurse or not, there was absolutely nothing about Jack that made Rory think he could keep his decency. The Captain, he was sure, likely didn't have any left.

The uniform was heavy, smelled of burnt plastic, but was oddly warm. He had chosen a thing with a smaller build, which was smart because the helmet might have flopped around a bit if he tried to pick a larger one. He only lost his jeans and vest, keeping his plaid shirt and t-shirt on underneath. It was also a great way to ensure he kept his mobile, wallet, and medi-pack on him for when they got out of this mess.

"So what do we do now?" He asked Jack as the two of them put on their helmets.

"We head back, but move slow. With any luck, the Autons heading our way now won't ask questions." Jack said, turning on his heel and heading back to Stonehenge.

Rory jogged to catch up. "We're letting them? Letting them head right to Amy? To the Doctor?"

"My blaster's outta juice, and we don't have any anti-plastic, so we don't have a lot of choice. Add to that, the Nestene is actually above us. Can't very well stop it from down here. You saw what happens when you shoot them, and I can melt those ones down but River and I were at that Roman camp and there are hundreds of soldiers, most of them are probably plastic."

"So the Romans that invaded Britain were actually just … plastic aliens?"

"No." Jack replied. "I imagine the Autons killed or captured the Romans they're copying. History says there were Romans who survived this. Whether that's because they're alive somewhere else and are just receiving the same memories the Autons would have living as them, or that there are actual humans among the crowd coming up behind, I don't know. What I do know is that we have to get back and warn the others that time is up, and tell Rose to get the Doctor out of here."

Rory reached over, grabbed Jack's arm, stopped him. "Rose is gone, I heard the TARDIS leave before we did. She and River went out to get something and the TARDIS left."

"Well then we need to hurry up. Go on ahead, warn the Doctor." Jack said, giving him a nudge.

"What about you, will you be alright?" Rory asked, only to receive and amused smirk from Jack. "Ah, right. Part of the immortals club." He said before he turned around and ran ahead.

It was easier to move once he got going, though he did worry if he was going to be able to slow his momentum enough at the end. At least if he didn't and he somehow crashed into a wall he'd have a helmet.

Stonehenge was coming quickly in his sight, the lights Jack started up helping guide him right where he needed to go, and Rory moved down the stairs with ease.

And he had no problem stopping when he reached the stairs and saw Amy on the ground, crawling backward toward a wall in an attempt to escape a metal robot of death as it moved toward her.

Rory felt the hilt of the sword at his waist resting against his palm, his hand having naturally rested against it. He drew it, heart pounding as he moved swiftly but quietly up behind the robot. He could die. He didn't earn whatever immortal card Rose and Jack had, and he was aware that one wrong move could mean the end of his existence.

But he went for it anyway. Because not doing anything meant losing Amy.

He thrust the sword forward with all the strength he possessed from lifting heavy patients, and was oddly pleased at the light tickle he felt on his skin as the metal man sparked before him. On the tip of his sword, he could see what he would guess was the thing that made I function. Angling the sword as he pulled it out, Rory dislodged the heart of the robot from the tip of his blade, and the body dropped as he sheathed it.

Amy watched it fall, then looked up at him with glossy eyes. "Love a Roman." She mumbled.

"Good to know, was feeling a little second place as of late." Rory said as he took off his helmet. "Hello, Amy."

"Rory?" Amy asked, eyes widening for a moment before they rolled back and she passed out.

"Amy?" The Doctor's voice came from the other side of the Pandorica, thick with grog and confusion. "Amy!" It came again, clear and panicked.

"Over here," Rory called as he knelt down in front of his girlfriend, caressing her cheek and dropping his hand to check her pulse. Steady and even.

The Doctor was standing beside him a moment later, and when Rory looked up he noted the Doctor frowning down at him.

"Why are you a Roman?" He asked.

"Disguise. Well, was supposed to be, but then matters became a bit more urgent than blending in with plastic." Rory replied, standing to look the Doctor in the eye.

"Plastic?" The Doctor countered. "Autons? The Romans are Autons? And Jack knew, good ol' Jack. Well, maybe that's a stretch. Why did you need to blend in?"

Rory shrugged. "There were more heading this way, and whatever Jack did to the first lot he couldn't do to the next. Something to do with his blaster." At that, the Doctor rolled his eyes. "But the more pressing part is that Rose and River are gone. The TARDIS left."

The Doctor looked as if he were about to challenge that, then resignation came over him. "They're both so far away, I can feel them but can't connect to them. I didn't notice."

"Huh?"

"My bond with Rose, she's too far away for me to use it. Hand me your mobile."

"Umm, I would, but it's a bit … behind armor." Rory replied.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Fine, give me Amy's." He said, beckoning for Rory to hand it over.

Rory turned back to Amy, looked her over, and guessed where she'd keep her phone. It was a tight fit, wriggling it out of her pocket. "Are you at all worried about her?" He asked when she didn't so much as stir as he roughly tugged at the phone.

The Doctor shuffled behind him, and the whir of the sonic cut through the silence. "Figured as much. She's sedated, will come around in a little bit, just give her time." He replied as Rory freed the device and handed it back to him.

The Doctor punched a long string of numbers on the pad, then brought it to his ear.

"Umm, that's a lot of …." Rory started to protest but realized it was falling on deaf ears. He managed to get the phone company to reverse the charges that one time the Doctor used his to call the Atraxi. All he had to do was prove there was no such Earth based number. He could do it again for Amy's if need be.

"Rose, where are you? What hap-" The Doctor stopped mid word, his eyes growing stormy as he listened to whatever Rose had to say. His eyes darted to where the unconscious Amy remained propped up against the wall. "I can't believe that." There was another long pause as he listened. "Then try to get back here. Quickly." He hung up and tossed the phone to Rory before turning abruptly and moving to the Pandorica.

The Doctor looked at it, half circled it as he would an adversary.

He pounded at it, screaming with every hit, rage like Rory had never seen in a living creature unleashed against this inanimate object. It startled him, made him pull Amy to his chest and hold her against him as the Doctor let one final shout out. From a distance, Rory could see the broken skin on the alien's knuckles, momentarily fascinated that the open wound was red.

The Doctor pushed his hand through his hair, letting it flop unruly against his forehead.

"It was a trap," He said with exasperation. "Using the interests of my companion against me, and there's nothing I can do." He then looked down at Rory. "Where's Jack?"

"Up above, pretending to be a plastic Roman." Rory replied.

"Take Amy, go up, get him to take you back to your time with his Vortex Manipulator. Have a good wedding, a good life, call Tim and tell him …."

"We can't." Rory interrupted. "That's why River went with Rose, to get the manipulator out of the TARDIS."

"Of course," The Doctor said with a sigh, throwing his head back. "Rose can't land the TARDIS. My extending the matter lines worked too well."

"Well … can't you just reverse it?" Rory suggested.

The Doctor's eyes lit up, and it became clear to Rory that this poor alien would probably be quite lost if it weren't for his wife or anyone else he traveled with. The Doctor darted back over to the Pandorica, screwdriver drawn and ready to wield. He stopped short as all those inscriptions, or whatever the symbols on the sides were, all began to glow green.

"Doctor?" Rory asked, momentarily distracted as Amy groaned and stirred.

"Rory?" She said, face screwed up as she held her head. She looked him over, growing more confused. "Why are you a Roman? Don't get me wrong, it's hot, but why are you …?"

"Not now, Amy. Doctor, what's happening?" Rory tried again, watching the Time Lord scan the box with his sonic.

He swallowed hard, turning to Rory with apologetic eyes. "The final phase: it's opening."

"Doctor!" Jack yelled as he came running down the stairs in Roman uniform, helmet missing. "Doctor! The Autons …."

Jack was cut off by a bullet.

"Stay back," Rory said to Amy, gently moving her off his chest and back against the wall again. He stood, unsheathed his sword, and stood in front of Amy, facing down the Roman things as they came into the cavern. Their fingers were dropped, gun barrel revealed.

"Do not resist." One Roman guy said.

"Do not resist what?" The Doctor asked.

"Do not resist." It repeated.

"Listen," Rory said, stepping forward, both arms extended toward the Roman. It turned, there was a shot, and an intense pain filled his chest.

"Rory!" Amy shouted as his knees went weak and he fell back. Breathing was hard, getting harder, and as he felt Amy's hands grip his arms he looked down at the whole in his armor. Oh, well, at least it didn't hit his heart. "No," Amy said, squeezing his arms. "No, no, you don't die, you hear me?"

"You were always too big for him, anyway, Amy." An oddly familiar female voice said. "You'll move on."

"Miss Smith?" Amy asked behind him, confused.

"Miss Smith." The Doctor said in confusion. A blurred version of him crossed he room, stood before the woman who entered behind the Romans. There was a shuffle, had the Roman's grabbed a hold of the Doctor? Rory blinked, forced himself to focus.

His eyes fell on Jack first, saw the man peeking out of one eye but otherwise playing dead. He turned his gaze to the woman and the Doctor. Yes, Romans did have him. Vision fading, Rory turned his head using the last of his strength to look at Amy, his Amy, one last time.

* * *

 

"Miss Smith." The Doctor confronted the woman dressed in a dark top and khaki pants. He forced himself to ignore Amy's quiet pleas and sobs, Rory dying in her arms, Jack trying his best not to move until it was the right time. "The therapist."

"Amy's, yes. Someone had to guide her after she was forced to learn the hard way what terrible, dishonorable people Time Lords were." She countered with a smile victoriously.

"IT WAS AGREED YOU WOULD NOT SPEAK." A Dalek voice came from behind, and the Doctor looked over his shoulder just as three Daleks appeared.

"How?" He asked. "How, when my own TARDIS couldn't land above?"

"BECAUSE THE MATTER LINES HAVE BEEN REVERSED." The Dalek replied.

"Reversed?"

"Yes." Miss Smith said. "You may have extended them, but you do not control them."

"DO NOT SPEAK! DO NOT SPEAK!" The Dalek cried out, and Miss Smith looked complacent in an instant.

"How is it possible that the mighty Dalek is working with a being they would feel beneath them?"

"THE FEMALE PROMISED THE END OF THE DOCTOR."

"How?" He asked, knowing he should be more afraid than curious but he couldn't himself.

"The ultimate prison." A Cyberman replied, and a small group of them materialized into the cavern. A moment later, Sontarans did the same, as did a few Sycorax, Zygons, and a pair of Slitheen. "We have come together to bear witness to the imprisonment of our greatest enemy."

A bright, white light came from the direction of the Pandorica, and the Doctor turned to see it opening from one of the corners.

A pair of Autons grabbed his arms, their unnaturally strong grip holding him up and in place. They started walking toward the Pandorica, and the Doctor did his best to dig his heels in the ground and resist. He glanced over his shoulder again, seeing through the blinding light and in to the prison beyond. He watched as clamps at various parts of the chair inside opened and readied for him.

"You know if you reversed my work of the matter lines the TARDIS can return."

"The TARDIS will not." A Sontaran replied.

"Technology found within Torchwood of Earth. TARDIS proofing has been implemented around the stone structure." A Zygon replied. "We who did not stay learned before we left."

He didn't have time to dwell on Zygons being in Torchwood, and the thought gave him a headache anyway. He tried to resist even as they dragged him up the small steps, heels hitting the edge each time.

The Doctor tried to think, tried to figure out how he would get out of this with his wife unable to save him.

But he wasn't going to die in the cube, not for a long time. She would be alright; she'd never have to worry about the end. They'd have their bond, maybe, and with any luck she'd be able to communicate with him if she were on Earth. He'd be trapped, but she would be okay.

And River. River was safe too. She could go with Jenny, stay safe and away.

It was just Amy he was worried about now. Amy and what would happen now that Rory was dead and time lines were ….

Not shattered.

He was forced into the chair, the clamps coming around him, but he could hardly protest. He stared at the ginger girl his wife had said was a traitor, watched as she sobbed over a completely still Rory, and noted that their time lines were sill completely entwined.

Just as the Autons who dragged him inside stepped away, the sound of the TARDIS engines echoed through the cavern, and the Doctor was filled with a sense of both relief and dread.

* * *

 

Rose was starting to get a headache from her mind working overtime, trying to figure out a way to get around the matter lines. No matter how appealing River's idea of the horses was, there was no way Rose could guarantee that they'd land at exactly the right time, arrive when they need to. She needed to get back essentially when they left, not much longer after that, and she couldn't afford to miss the mark. If something happened to the Doctor, Rory, Jack, well …. Rose knew what would happen if she attempted to rewrite time in too big a capacity, or at the very least the possibility.

River sat on the jumpseat behind her, playing with a strand of her curly hair, somehow knowing better than to ask anything at the moment.

"What should we do?" Rose asked the TARDIS softly. The Old Girl hummed a regretful lament. She was a creature of time as well, but she had little ability to bend it to her will. Go anywhere in time and space, know where they should or should not be, but sometimes it was out of even her metaphorical hands.

Rose's phone on the console rang and she absently reached for it. She didn't recognize the number but at least knew it came from England. For a moment, she considered letting it go to voice mail, but something stopped her.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Rose," Her husband said, and she straightened up. "Where are you? What hap-"

"TARDIS took off." Rose interrupted him, turning to lean with her back against the console. "She brought us back to Leadworth, 1998, and Doctor … _She_ was with Amy. Young Amy. Little girl Amy. She was out having chips with her and chatting about Pandora's box. I know it was her, Doctor, the woman who's been following you about, and I think Amy's been part of a trap. Think she's been made, or conditioned, or something to lure you exactly where you are right now."

"I can't believe that," The Doctor replied with conviction.

"'Course you wouldn't. Handpicked her, didn't ya? Batted her … you know what, 's not fair. That was old you. Doesn't matter how she got you to take her, point's that she has a connection to this _She,_ and I'd bet she has something to do with the Pandorica. Doctor, you're in danger. When it all comes down to it, the Pandorica was a trap and Amy was the bait to lure you there."

"Then try to get back here. Quickly." The Doctor retorted before hanging up.

"Bloody hell!" Rose said as she biffed the device across the console room. The TARDIS grumbled but quickly turned her hum soothing. "Bloody git hung up before I could tell'im his mucking about with the Pandorica is preventing us from getting there."

"Rose," River said calmly. "Maybe he knows now? Maybe … maybe he'll lower them."

"You're supposedly close to us, River. When've you ever known the Doctor to actually think of a sensible solution on his own? Leave that man alone to solve his own issues he'd likely blow up the TARDIS in the process."

The TARDIS hummed a regretful agreement to that.

"He's not alone, though." River said. "He has Jack, Rory, Amy."

"Amy's not to be trusted." Rose snapped back as she turned back to the monitor.

River sighed. "I was never told how it was between you two in the beginning, though I'd have never imagined you two would be so cold to one another."

"Yes," Rose said as she scanned the time period they'd come from one more time in hopes of finding a break for them to squeeze through. "Been told she stays around. Can't say I'm pleased 'bout that." She turned around, ready to offer River a grin when her heart dropped into her stomach.

River was partly fading in and out before her.

Something was happening and whatever it was meant River might not exist.

"This is getting worse than we thought." River said, clearly trying to be brave while her voice shook and her eyes watered.

"We will break through." Rose assured, turning abruptly back around and pounded on the key boards a little firmer.

A smile broke over her face as the traces of matter lines vanished from her scans, and she moved to the switch to materialize them back where they were. The engines whirred, the rotor bobbed, and Rose began to laugh.

Then she was tossed to the floor, sparks flying from the console as it felt as though they crashed into something.

"What was that?" River asked as Rose pulled herself up and moved to the monitor.

"You've got to be kidding me." She said in quiet disbelief as she read the reason they couldn't get through. "You've got to be kidding me!" She yelled, pounding her fist on the console. " _She's_ thoughtof everything, hasn't she? It's impossible to land there, TARDIS can't do it. Shielding around the bloody thing to make it so we can't swoop in." She pushed the monitor hard out of the way, causing it swing around the console a few rotations before finally slowing down.

Rose sat on the steps, digging the heel of her hands into her eyes. "He's there, alone, surrounded by his enemies and I can't do a bloody thing to save him." She said, looking up at River, trying to assure herself that the reason River was so hard to see was because of the tears blurring her vision and not that River was somehow fading out of existence.

"You're a legend," River said, her voice even losing some of its volume. "You're the Bad Wolf, there has to be _something_ you can do."

The TARDIS hummed with determination, and Rose scoffed at it.

"Bad Wolf," She mumbled. "Fat lot of good it's doing be now."

A moment later, Rose heard a long, quiet groan of creaking metal, and a click. She could hear the TARDIS louder in her mind, the Time Ship nearly having a proper voice of her own. Its musical voice echoed in Rose's mind, repeating the same notes over and over. Gallifreyan, of course. It only made sense that that was what the TARDIS spoke if she _were_ to have her own voice. It took a few moments for Rose to decipher what she was saying, but when it translated, her eyes went wide as her head shot up.

"You sure?" She asked the ceiling, and the TARDIS gave a confident, affirmative hum.

"Mum," River said softly, getting Rose's full attention. She didn't comment on the title, especially when the woman using it was once again fully formed, voice strong. "What are you going to do?"

"Something drastic." She told River with resignation. "Turn around, darling, and close your eyes."

* * *

 

Rory was dead, and Amy felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest and fed to the Pepper Pots. She wanted to be terrified that her childhood therapist was involved in a trap for the Doctor, that it was highly likely that if she was still alive when all this was over she was going to be stuck here. But grief overwhelmed her, and even as she watched the Doctor forced into the box she was too numbed to care. Her imaginary friend, her best friend, and all she wanted beyond all wants was to go back to before all this happened and avoid it all together.

The grinding of the TARDIS engines made the gaping hole where her heart had been constrict with hope until she looked over at the Doctor and noted the fear in his eyes. She blinked, trying to see through the tears and understand why everything in the room with a face that could express were either angry or confused.

The TARDIS fully formed, the doors opened, and a golden light spilled out, illuminating every nook and plane of the cavern. And in the middle of that light was Rose.

"You will step away from him." She stated firmly, her voice eerie and ethereal. Amy could feel how powerful she was but was not afraid like her mind said she should be.

"IT IS THE ABOMINATION!" One of the Dalek's said, only adding to Amy's confusion. She held Rory's body closer to her protectively while watching the scene before her.

"The what?" Miss Smith asked, confusion and intrigue there in equal parts.

"I am the Bad Wolf," Rose corrected, her tone making Amy shrink back even if the words were not directed at her. "I am a being of time."

"You are a human." A Cyberman corrected.

Rose turned toward it, and in turn gave Amy a better view of her face.

Her heart stopped a moment from fear as she saw Rose's eyes were entirely golden and glowing. There was no iris, pupil, anything other than light.

"I am so much more than your simple processing can comprehend." Rose stated. "You will leave here, and be spared."

"We will not leave a fight that has been won!" A potato man said, aiming his gun at Rose. "Sontarans do not retreat, do not surrender, do not …."

Rose turned toward the speaking potato and lifted her hand as he rambled, her eyes glowing for a second. His gun was the first to turn to golden dust and disappear into nothingness. Amy could see his beady eyes stretch wide before he shared the same fate as his weapon. His comrades looked on in horror as he turned to nothing.

"You will all run." Rose said again, more forcefully this time. "You will all flee back to your ships and return to where you came from. That is my mercy, take it now." She said before turning that raised hand toward the Doctor and the Pandorica.

Amy watched with terror, admiration, and a healthy dose of respect forming in her chest as the prison made for the Doctor went the way of the potato man and turned to golden dust. The Doctor stood as his upper body was freed, and once his legs were as well he crossed the room in five steps to stand in front of Rose.

He looked about as those who tried to detain him all disappeared one group at a time, his gaze lingering longer on Miss Smith and the two men dressed like her before she vanished as well.

The Doctor cupped Rose's cheek trying to look into her eyes. "You can let it go now, Sweetheart." He said with a shaking voice he tried to mask as calm.

"Almost," She said.

Amy gasped, choking back a yelp as Rose turned to her. Those golden eyes pierced into her soul, and Amy could feel the invasion of it. Memories from her childhood long forgotten resurfaced for a moment, and Amy could almost picture a long life with Rory in the same instance.

Rory, who was no longer able to live that out.

"No," She heard the Doctor say firmly. "No, Rose, you can't do this."

"I'm in control this time." Rose replied, lifting a hand toward them.

"No," Amy tried to shout but it only came out as a whisper. She clutched Rory to her protectively, screwing her eyes shut. If he was going to disappear, she wanted to disappear with him. She would turn to dust as well.

Rory gasped for air in her arms, his whole body seeming to expand with the effort. Amy's eyes flew open and she looked down into his wide blue eyes.

"Amy," He gasped out, and she started crying for a whole other reason.

Her smile stretched wide, and she looked to Rose to thank her but stopped, smile fading.

Rose turned back to the Doctor, and he cupped her face with both hands.

"Are you going to die now?" He asked her, the words soft and quiet but heard clearly in the empty cavern.

"Yes," Rose replied. "But not for long."

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"Of course." Rose said gently. "I'm burning from the inside. But I won't gone long, my Doctor." She replied, placing both hands on his chest before tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Rose exhaled like she was blowing out a candle, and Amy was mesmerized as she watched the gold light move from Rose through the air, and into the TARDIS.

For the first time, Amy noticed River standing just outside it, watching everything silently.

Rory shifted, seeming to watch the same thing Amy was, sitting up on his own.

As the last of the light left Rose, she collapsed against the Doctor, knocking him backward while he made sure to hold on to her the whole time. The TARDIS doors closed as the last of the golden light entered it, and the room was silent.

Jack moved, and Amy let out a yelp and covered her mouth as Jack got up on his feet. "She alright?" He asked the Doctor.

The Time Lord nodded. "Heart beating again, breathing steady, mind active. I think she'll be out for a bit, though maybe not as long as when I regenerated."

"What just happened?" Rory asked. "I was dead, and now … now I'm not. I saw the light, and I dunno, black, and then I was back and Rose had gone all … something. And, well … does this mean I'm part of the immortals club now? Because I'm quite content to only live about eighty or ninety years. Anything beyond that seems excessive."

"No," The Doctor said with a gentle smile and a shake of his head. "You're not immortal. Rose just fixed an important time line, one that involves you." The Doctor met her eye. "You and Amy."

Amy leaned against Rory, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him fiercely.

"We should get in the TARDIS," The Doctor said as he adjusted his hold on Rose and lifted her bridal style while he got unsteadily to his feet. "Rose needs a proper place to rest, and you two …."

"Need to get married." Amy said immediately, cutting off and surprising the Doctor. She turned to look at the very confused but not at all reluctant-seeming Rory. "You died. You actually died in my arms and … I wanted to die to. I couldn't imagine my life without you. Haven't been able to since we were kids but this? This was real. This was the sign I should never have needed. I love you, Rory Williams, and I want to marry you right now."

"To Leadworth then," The Doctor said with a smile in his voice, though Amy didn't see it.

She was too busy kissing Rory. Her Rory. Feeling his relief, his devotion, and everything she meant to him with every brush of his lips against hers. She was undeserving, but she swore to herself then and there she would try to be. Because Amy Pond was not going to lose him again.

* * *

 

"Here we are," The Doctor said as he landed the TARDIS. "Leadworth, a minute after we left the second time, Amy. Still well before midnight so you can adhere to the silly human custom of not seeing the bride before the wedding."

"You'll be there, won't you, Doctor?" Amy asked as she and Rory lingered by the door, the latter changed back into the clothes he was wearing when he was originally picked up. "You and Rose? Can't often invite your imaginary friend and his wife to your wedding, but I've never been one for normal."

"I'm sure we will be." He replied. "Might be a bit before Rose wakes up, though."

"And you've got a time machine." Amy countered, eyebrow twitching as the corner of her mouth threatened to turn up.

"And look how well it's worked for me when it comes to you. First twelve years, then two," The Doctor reminded her.

She shrugged. "You'll be there. I know you will." She said with confidence as Rory opened the doors. "So we'll see you tomorrow. Dress up."

He nodded, waving as they stepped out into the night. When the doors closed, he turned to Jack and River. "Would you like me to bring you somewhere? Or are you going to use that shoddy piece of technology and risk missing your mark?"

"This shoddy piece of technology saved our lives a couple times." Jack reminded him.

"That it has." The Doctor said with a nod, looking at the console, running his fingers along the edge of it. He could barely look at Jack, knowing what Rose had done this time. She was in control, as she promised him, and she made a minor tweak to Jack's time line. One in which he was no longer eternally immortal, that there would be a point in his life when he could choose to pass on instead of bouncing back. And the Doctor had been there, when Jack would finally choose his end. He'd wonder how it could happen before, and now he knew.

"I've heard the stories, growing up." River said, drawing his attention. "The Bad Wolf. I knew, of course, that it was Rose's other name, but I didn't quite believe its origins."

"Its origins started a long time before this." The Doctor replied.

"Yes," River nodded, "But I didn't quite believe that the _actual_ Bad Wolf was a combination of the two females that love you most in the Universe."

The TARDIS hummed a happy little confirmation, poking his mind with affection. The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head. Of course they would team up, bend time to alter an impossible situation.

"So a lift back with me, yes or no?" He asked once again.

"We'll be fine," Jack said. "We have a table on hold for us back at the Maldovarium, and I don't think they like any sort of space or time craft landing inside."

"Right, yes, well … keep her safe, Jack." The Doctor said with a gesture to River.

He nodded, then headed for the doors.

River moved to follow then paused. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be," The Doctor waved it off. "I can't even say I'm properly angry with Rose or the TARDIS."

"No," She shook her head. "I mean for all that's about to come." At his clear confusion, River stepped closer to him, wringing her fingers. "You see, this event … I was only ever told a watered down version, to protect the time lines, but I know what comes next. And I'm sorry, because in a small way, it _is_ my fault." She got on her toes and kissed his cheek before darting out the doors before the Doctor could ask her anything more.

Sighing, the Doctor put the TARDIS into the Vortex, then headed down the corridor.

Entering the bedroom he shared with Rose, he crossed the room and climbed on to the bed next to his dormant wife.

"Shall I read to you, Sweetheart? I feel like perhaps I'm more of Orwell man this go around." He said, reaching for the book that he knew would be on the table by the bed.

"Just do it quietly." Rose replied softly, eyes still closed.

"Of course," He adjusted his voice, smiling so wide it hurt. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead, noting her lips twitching in a smile for a brief moment.

He then opened the book, and began to read.


	15. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Some suggestive content ahead leaning closer to but not truly "M" rated.

It was times like these Rose was actually really thankful her husband wasn't the same species as her. He hovered above her, hands pinning hers to the mattress, and despite the extended time they'd spent once more making up for lost time, as well as working out their frustrations with each other, he was not sweaty. She was, a bit, but that was the other advantage of his different biology: his cooler temperature worked to keep her cooler too.

"You are _never_ going to do that again." He said, part reverent, part reprimanding.

"She and I will do whatever it takes to make you safe." Rose replied, curling a leg around his and caressing his calf with her heel.

"What if you reversed what you had done the first time? What if you untethered your life from mine?" He asked her.

"I was more in control this time." Rose reminded him. She wished he would release her hands so she could touch his face, but he was using all his strength and most of his body to keep her where she was. "Last time it was emotional, panicked. I was young and didn't understand everything. It wasn't she and I working together, it was me forcing her to help me. This time it was her idea, and I wanted to get to you." She stroked his cheek with a mental caress, smiling as his face twisted in ecstasy. "It was a trap we didn't expect, weren't prepared for, and was meant to ensure you couldn't ever escape. We needed to save you." She said.

She thought that maybe there was some other reason she was desperate to get there, something to do with River. But much like the last time she awoke after becoming the Bad Wolf, there were some things blurred from her memory. Before she didn't think much of it, but now she had to wonder if it was done on purpose to prevent her having too much foreknowledge.

"And as a result you were asleep for three days." He scolded, but did something that soothed it a bit and reminded Rose precisely how connected they currently were.

It forced her eyes shut for a second. "Well, coming back from that kind of … well, it was exhausting. But I'd do it again." She said as she looked back at him.

"No, you won't." He said firmly. "Neither of you should even contemplate doing that again. It took a lot out of her, too."

"I'm aware." Rose said, eyes darting to his lips.

He obliged her by dipping his head and kissing her, but only briefly. "You terrified me, Rose Tyler." He said against her lips. "I can't lose you, not now, not after you've made it completely impossible for me to carry on without you."

"Not going anywhere." She said, kissing him again. It was long and languid, but at the end, the Doctor rolled himself off of her.

"Not entirely true," He said. "We do have to go to a wedding."

"Do we?" Rose said, rolling on her side and propping her head up as she looked at her husband.

"Oh yes," He said with a grin. "One Amy Pond to Rory Williams." His smile faded. "You don't still believe she was involved, do you?"

"No," Rose shook her head. "Used, yes. But when I took in the vortex, it was the same as before. I could see everything, and while I remember so very little of it, I do know that my assumptions about Amy were wrong. She was used, nothing more." Rose rolled over and slid off the bed. She stretched, feeling the Doctor's eyes on her he whole time. "Wedding to get to, yeah? Probably should get washed up and dressed."

"I should go with you." He said immediately, and she heard him land with a thud on the floor. "Might fall and hurt yourself after all you've been through." He said with a bit of strain to his voice.

"If either of us were to fall in the shower, it'd likely be you." She said, adding his proper name with a tongue-touched grin on the end of it.

She saw the fire in his eyes when she turned to look at him over her shoulder, as well as the playfulness. A second later, he was crossing the room toward her, and Rose let out a yelp as she dashed into the bathroom.

* * *

 

The ceremony had been beautiful, perfect, all Amy had ever dreamed of. She had teared up during their vows, especially when Rory said "'Til death do us part." When they had kissed the whole church, filled with friends and neighbor and family alike, had all stood and cheered. Even Mels got a day pass for the special occasion, and sat in the front row to loudly remind Amy that for years she thought Rory was gay.

But as she sat at the head table at their reception, looking at her abysmal family table where only her Aunt Sharon and Mels sat, Amy was getting a tad bit miffed. Because of all the people that _were_ there, there were also two people who were distinctly not.

Rory, bless him, didn't say anything. Though she did catch him glancing at the table and then his watch on occasion.

"You know what I'm missing?" She asked quite loudly as people were finishing their meals. She gained a few glances, but most were too involved in their own conversations to notice.

"What?" Rory asked, maybe keeping his voice low to prove a point.

"Something blue," Amy said firmly. "Something blue, and old."

"Oh, I know where this is going." Mels said with an amused grin. "Know what role play game you two will be up playing tonight." She added much to the dismay of Aunt Sharon. "Amy and the Doctor."

"Please," Aunt Sharon half begged, looking toward the table where Brian and Rory's grandparent sat. "I thought you were past this whole imaginary friend thing?"

"Well," Rory said, looking unsure if he wanted to explain himself.

The TARDIS engines cut through the chatter, drawing attention to the back of the room.

"There it is," Amy said as she climbed up and over the table while her Aunt and Mels stared wide-eyed at the time ship. "My something blue."

The doors opened a bit. "Oi, don't make me tell you again! Not. Yours." Rose said as she stuck her head out, a grin on her face as she gave Amy a wink.

The ginger smiled, and it only grew as the door opened a bit more to reveal the Doctor in a tux with tails and a top hat. A white scarf was draped around his neck, and he matched his bow tie to the white of his waistcoat. He stepped out with a bit of swagger, straightening his bow tie.

"Hello, everyone." He greeted the room with a wave before reaching back and offering his hand to Rose. "I'm Amy's imaginary friend, and this is my wife. Sorry we're late, got the time a little off. But at least we made a grand entrance." He said as he helped Rose out of the TARDIS.

Her hair was curled, and her make-up done nearly exactly as it had been when Amy had seen her in her coma. But instead of gold, Rose wore a knee-length, simple black dress with a squared neckline and a sheer shawl covering her bare arms.

"Tried to get him to tone down the kit, but it's the first wedding he's been to in decades." Rose apologized to Amy, glancing to Rory as he came up beside his wife.

"Oi, I look cool. Tails and top hats are cool." He said, turning an offended look to Rose.

"Yes, but a bit much, yeah?"

"Wait." Mels cut their conversation off, standing up and pointing at them while looking at Amy. "He's real?"

"Yep." Amy said with a grin.

"And hot." Mels added.

"And married," Rose interjected.

"Yeah, apparently, but that never came up." Mels said, still not looking at them. "He's real."

"Kept trying to tell you lot, but no one was listening." Amy said, gesturing wildly about the room. "And now that they're here, let's get on with the actual party portion of this shing dig, shall we?"

* * *

 

Rose and the Doctor moved in a slow circle not far from the bride and groom, other guests paired off as well as another slow song had queued up, and the night was drawing to a close.

"Time lines secure?" She asked him quietly.

"Hmm? Yes, time lines. Firmly in place." He replied, coming out of whatever deep thought he was having.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, caressing the back of neck with her thumb.

He looked over at their friends dancing closely, Rory holding Amy's shoes.

"How would you feel about them traveling with us? After their honeymoon, of course." He asked.

Rose chuckled. "Bit late to ask that, yeah?"

"Well, the circumstances before were a bit different." He reasoned. "I went back for Amy to say thank you. Rory came because he needed to, and then it was making sure everything was back on track, followed by …." Rose stopped him by placing a finger on his lips. She waited, drawing it back as he started to grin. "This would be us willingly taking them on. As companions."

"Married couple." Rose reminded. "Bit domestic."

"Haven't I already pointed out that you've domesticated me?" He teased.

"Might have," She said with a slow nod. "You think Amy'll be civil with me now?"

"You saved the love of her life," The Doctor reminded. "You did it to save the time lines, but she doesn't know that." He stepped back, catching her hands as they slid from his shoulders. He winked, then looked over at the newlyweds and smiled. Rose did as well, catching Amy's eye and seeing the genuine grin that came over the red head. Rose tilted her head toward the TARDIS before the Doctor dropped one of her hands and lead her toward it. He snapped his fingers, the door only just opening enough for them both to squeeze through.

The TARDIS lit up upon entry, and the Doctor discarded his top hat on the nearest jump seat before moving to the coordinate panel.

"What do you think about the planet Midnight?" He asked Rose as she moved up the ramp a touch slower. "No, what about Ojava? Great spas there, lots of fruity drinks, UV filter around the planet."

"Where are you two off to, then?" Amy asked as she and Rory came through the TARDIS doors, keeping them as closed as possible to prevent anyone at the party from seeing inside.

"That depends," The Doctor said. "Where or when would Mister and Missus Pond like to go on their honeymoon?"

"That's not how it works." Rory said as he and Amy stood in front of the closed doors.

"Yeah it is," The Doctor replied without missing a beat.

Rory and Amy exchanged a glance. "Yeah it is. So, I suppose, Mister Tyler," He emphasized. "Where did you have in mind?"

"A few places." The Doctor said, walking around the console, flipping switches and adjusting knobs as he went. "But if you intend to come, we should leave soon. Whole universe out there to see, and it's only getting bigger. So you could continue on with your plans of Cardiff, or you could come with us and visit a planet that's essentially space Florida without all the theme parks and the alligators don't have teeth."

Rory looked to Amy. "What do you say, Dear?"

Amy looked up at the Doctor, to Rose, then turned around and opened the door.

"Goodbye!" She shouted with a wave, then shut and locked the door as quick as she could.

The Doctor turned to Rose with a grin. "Mind doing the honors, Sweetheart?" He asked.

Rose placed her hand on the dematerialization switch, winked, and then threw it.


	16. A Problem with the Underground pt 1

"Never could get used to the corsets," Rose said, adjusting her fancy, Victorian dress as she emerged into the console room.

The Doctor smiled at her warmly, extending a hand toward her. "But you look beautiful. As always." He said as she placed her hand in his. He pulled her closer, kissing her gently, seeming to be mindful of the little feathered hat on her head. "Happy anniversary, Sweetheart."

"Happy anniversary. So what year are we spending it this time?" She asked as he grabbed a top hat from the console and placed it on his head. Rose smirked but didn't comment on it.

"1884," He said as he led her to the doors. He opened them, and the cool air drifted up under her black cloak. The sleeves of her deep blue dress helped shield her a bit, but the cold still was still keenly felt. She stepped closer to the Doctor once they were outside the TARDIS, huddling closer for warmth despite his lower temperature. He paused, reaching deep into his pockets with his free hand before bringing up their joined ones. Loosening his grip, he extended his left ring finger and slid his wedding band on. "Don't want to cause a scandal." He said with a wink before he led her down the cobble stone walkway.

"So why 1884?" She asked, looking up at the tall, beautiful buildings.

"Because this was the earliest the house would be ready." He countered, leading her up to a locked gate. He stopped, reaching into his inner pocket, and pulled out a skeleton key. He fit it into the lock on the gate and gave it a turn, the wrought-iron door swinging slowly open.

Rose gaped at it, then at him. "A house?"

"Yes," He said with a grin.

"A proper house with windows, and doors, and carpets?"

"Area rugs, actually. Carpets aren't really in vogue in this era. Do you like it?" He asked of the large, white home.

Rose slowly ventured up the walkway, taking in the curve of the turrets, the coffers, the whole construction of the new house. She paused, turning back toward the Doctor. "You built me a house in Victorian London?"

"Well, I know you've a fondness for the architecture of this era. You've mentioned staying somewhere other than the TARDIS while Amy and Rory are back in their proper time for a bit and I thought 'why stay at an inn?'" He said as he walked up beside her. "We can stay here for a week or so, sell it after or keep it. Pop in once in a while to ensure it's still standing. Might not even make it out of the London Blitz."

"You built me a house?" Rose repeated.

"Technically I hired contractors, visited while you were sleeping, kept up with the progress as needed. But yes, I guess you can say I built you a …." She grabbed his head and kissed him, not caring one lick about the propriety of the era or who could be walking by and seeing it. She could feel him smile against her lips, the waves of relief coming through their bond.

"You never cease to amaze me," She said, punctuated with a tongue-touched grin as she pulled back. She then took his hand again, eagerly pulling him toward the door. "Come on, I want to see the inside."

"Wait, Rose, there's something I should tell you first." He said as she reached for the intricate handle and gave it a turn.

She stepped inside the large foyer, looking up the stairs to see the landing before it turned out of sight. She peeked into the sitting room, noting the piano in the corner, a harp off to the side, and plenty of comfortable chairs.

Footsteps came from the dining hall across the way, and Rose turned to see a pretty woman with dark hair, brown eyes, and a mole just above the right corner of her lip coming toward them. She was dressed in simple black dress with a white apron over it.

"Begging your pardon, Doctor Smith," She said to the Doctor as she entered the foyer. "I'd no idea you'd be coming today. Sent William out to fetch some things." She said as she reached her hands out toward him. He gave her his hat and jacket, much to Rose's surprise, before turning toward her.

"It's alright, Jenny, it was meant to be a surprise." He said, clearly catching the barely masked surprise on Rose's face. "This is my wife, Rose. Rose, this is Jenny Flint, our maid while we're here."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Jenny said with a quick curtsy. "May I take your cloak?"

Rose nodded, untying the ribbon and shrugging it off. She handed over her hat and gloves as well, touching the curls of her hair to ensure they were still pinned in place. "Jenny? Unusual name. Short for something?" She asked.

The maid looked taken aback. "Doctor Smith said you have a daughter with the same name." She commented.

Rose smiled. "Yes, we call her Jenny as it is short for Jennifer." She bounced back quickly. She wasn't sure if that name was odd for the time, but it was a reasoning that they'd used before when someone made an assumption about the origins of their daughter's name. That, and saying short for Generated Anomaly would raise more eyebrows.

This Jenny smiled. "My name's short for Jeanette, ma'am." She said with a slight nod. "Shall I have a tray sent to the den for you?"

"That would be lovely, Jenny, thank you," The Doctor said as he came and took Rose's hand. "I'm going to show Missus Smith the rest of the house. Was a wedding gift, after all. Still a big surprise to her." He said as he steered her toward the stairs.

Rose looked over her shoulder, seeing Jenny smile and nod before turning back into the dining room. "We have a maid?" She asked the Doctor in a quiet voice as they headed up the stairs.

"And a Butler." He said with amusement. "I hired them both as they were both struggling for work. William's last place of employment fell on hard times, and the stigma associated with them made it hard for the other rich to-dos to stomach the thought of taking him on. You know how it is, British with money."

"No, I don't." She grinned with amusement. "Grew up on the estates, yeah? And's not like we are exactly proper rich."

"Yes, well, they don't know that, do they?" The Doctor retorted. "Anyway, Jenny I found homeless, barely earning anything as a bar maid."

"A bar maid?"

"Yes, well, I had to meet the contractors somewhere, didn't I? A bar maid. Her family had thrown her out, disowned her. I gave them work, greater salary than anyone else could possible offer, and had them set up the house for our arrival. They have rooms down the hall and around the corner." He pointed out as they reached the top of the stairs. "This one is ours." He said as he pointed to a door.

Rose went forward, opening it, gasping at the large, beautiful four post bed that looked ridiculously inviting. She turned about the room, seeing the armoire, the vanity table, the cast iron tub behind the partly closed door.

"It's as modern as the era would allow, so it does mean you have indoor plumbing. Did have to tweak the method of hot water, but it will never break down so that small bit of alien tech will likely be overlooked. Gas lighting, though I've checked the property for possible rifts and it doesn't look like it would pose much of problem." He rambled, only stopping when she turned to look at him.

"Why?" She asked.

"Sorry?" The Doctor asked with confusion.

"Why build me a house? Why do domestic?" She asked as she crossed the room back to him. She took his hands, studied the crease of his large brow, the uncertainty in his brilliant green eyes. She was used to this him now. It had been a couple months since his regeneration, and she was already quite comfortable with all his quirks and mannerisms. His confusion was by far the most adorable, much more animated this go around, and it happened quite often. "I say we should stay somewhere out of the TARDIS, we get an inn, or a cabin on a remote planet. We take a break from the running and the travel, it's somewhere alien and usually warm. Why a house? Why Victorian England?"

He sighed, brow relaxing. "Amy and Rory," he said simply. When Rose shook her head slightly, he continued. "A couple months with us, and they wanted to go back. To their home, their work, their lives. All these years with me, and I never gave you that. Not that we'll be working or anything like that while we're here, but …."

"We have a home, and she's wonderful." Rose reminded him.

"But just once, just for a while, I wanted you to have this sort of life. This body, still not much for domestics, but I think I could tolerate it a bit more. Possibly. Maybe. We'll find out, won't we?" He added with a shy grin.

"Don't need this." Rose said, "But if you want to try it for a bit …."

"Think of it as a second honeymoon," He encouraged. "Now, let's go to the den for tea."

* * *

 

It had been thirty minutes and twenty seven seconds of uncomfortable boredom before Rose sighed heavily and set down her tea cup. Yes, he had the house built for her because he knew she'd like the reprieve from the running. And yes, he knew that it would mean truly domestic living while she wanted to stay there. But he didn't really think about it.

The Doctor may have been more tolerable of domestics this go around, having regenerated with a bond mate, but that didn't mean he could sit still.

And Victorian London was probably the worst choice he could've made. Not only were there all those foolish social rules and etiquettes, and a distinct lack of fish fingers, but he had to give Rose an alias lest anyone in society happen to speak of her in the presence of a particular Queen who exiled them. He just hoped that the subtle changes in Rose over the years would be enough that should she somehow be spotted by anyone who knew this, it would just be over considered a coincidence. Thank Rassilon he hadn't used his normal alias back then.

He flipped through the paper, hoping to find something of interest, anything that would pull his attention so it didn't quite feel like the walls were closing in.

When she set down her cup, he looked up with anticipation for her next move. "Think I might go out shopping."

He gaped at her. "Shopping?" He spat.

"Yeah," She said as she got to her feet. "Didn't really pack a bag, and I doubt you'd have thought to get me a wardrobe. Hardly change your clothes, you do."

"Yes, well superior biology and all. Don't need to." He said, looking down at his paper and noting a partially buried headline that caught his attention. He smirked, reading the article in a blink before setting the paper down. "You know what? I think I'll go with you. Into town, at least. Not shopping, don't think it would be entirely proper. There's a purse with money for you on the dresser in our bedroom. You should get it while I order our carriage."

"We have a carriage?" Rose asked incredulously.

"We're wealthy aristocrats, Misses Smith, of course we have a carriage." He countered with a wink. "I'll get William to get it ready while you head on up."

She eyed him suspiciously as he felt her curiosity prod his mind. He sent back love, and she seemed content enough with that as she left the den.

The Doctor carefully shielded part of his mind as he looked down at the headline that caught his attention.

_Gruesome death of tunnel workers remains a mystery._

"Do love a good mystery." He said quietly to himself before heading to the kitchen to find their temporary butler.

* * *

 

"Henrick's?" Rose asked as the Doctor helped her out of the carriage.

"Yes, thought you might like to see it in its early days," He mused.

"Didn't know it was around this long." She said as she studied the building, the newness of it. "So where you off to, then?" She turned to her husband.

"Oh, just around." He replied, but despite the lack of expression, his eagerness was screaming loud enough in his mind to be heard in hers. Something about the underground.

"Be careful, yeah?" She asked him. "Don't want me around, I can understand that, but just … be careful. Won't forgive myself if something were to happen to you and I wasn't there."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll be safe, promise." He said as he let go of her hand. "Avoid the dummies." He added as she headed toward the building.

" _Oi, hush you._ " Rose sent him a glare over her shoulder but said nothing more either through their bond or out loud as she headed inside.

It was a bit disturbing to step into a building where she'd spent so much of her time before she met the Doctor. It didn't matter how long it'd been, the days spent folding and stacking clothes were embedded in her memory because of the various key points that happened in her life while she was employed there. Jimmy was one, Mickey another, but it was also where she met her husband. The changes in merchandise at least helped her fight the urge to follow her old path to the staff room, and she instead made her way to the jewelry area. Not something she'd normally spend any amount of money on, or even bother with, but considering how many other women she noted flocking toward it she thought it best she seem to blend in.

And just because she didn't bother with it didn't mean she wasn't completely immune to its glittering charm.

Eyeing up heavy crystal necklaces, chandelier earrings, Rose was nearly completely lost to her surroundings.

It was a familiar voice that pulled her from her revere of a tennis bracelet.

"James Henrick," He said in the same way he would say his other name. "You ladies just browsing for the day?"

"For today, Mister Henrick." A woman replied in a flirty tone. "But I'll be dropping numerous hints to my husband."

Rose strained to listen over her racing heart, tried to keep her breathing even, and was failing on both accounts. She could sense him coming toward her, and closed her eyes tight in hopes that it would somehow make her invisible.

"And what about you miss?" He asked from directly behind her. "Anything I can help you with."

Her shoulders slumped, knowing there was nowhere to run, and how hurt he'd be when he inevitably watched her flee. So Rose turned slowly, meeting his blue eyes and watching a tidal wave of emotions run through them.

"Rose," He breathed.

"Hello, Jack." She said quietly, not wanting to break his alias in front of so many people who were watching them.

He took one more step toward her then pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She returned it fiercely, knowing that this Jack was looking for her and their first Doctor, and not wanting to crush him so quickly into his reunion.

"You're real." He whispered in her ear, and she could feel his tears tickle her cheek.

She soothed him as best she could, shushing him as she stroked his back. "It's alright." She whispered.

More people were watching, and Rose could tell by the scandalized looks on some of the on-lookers faces that it was for more reasons than simple politeness.

It was then she remembered that she hadn't bothered with her gloves, and her ring would be easily seen by anyone trying to be nosy.

Carefully, she eased herself out of Jack's embrace, heart aching at the sight of his tear stained face.

"Where is he?" He asked, wiping at his cheeks.

"Finding trouble, no doubt." She replied, catching the glint of gold on his left hand. "Oh," she said, eyes following the hand's movements until Jack thought to look down at his hand.

"Right, that. Well, you see …."

"Jack," She said, purposely reaching out for him with her left hand so he would notice her ring as well. "I think we best talk somewhere more private."

"Right," He said gruffly.

The change in his demeanor was odd, having only seen it a few times and usually when someone made him angry. But he took her hand gently, guiding her down that familiar path she was resisting following before. She noted a few people, likely staff, watching and whispering as they passed by, but no one dared to say anything out loud.

Jack brought her to what she once called the manager's office, closing the door and locking it behind him. He then strode over to the large desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a bottle with a dark liquid inside and two glasses. He unscrewed the cap, poured, and offered her a glass. "I imagine a 21st century girl like you is having a hard time adjusting to the customs of this time." He said as Rose moved across the room and took the glass. "Didn't think he'd ever leave you behind." Jack said as they both took a seat, and he a hearty gulp of the liquor.

"That's the thing, Jack, he didn't." Rose replied, looking at the drink instead of her oldest friend in many ways.

"You left him?" Jack choked. "Must have been one hell of a bloke."

"He certainly is." Rose replied. She knew he wasn't supposed to know the truth right now, having been surprised to see the ring on her finger at the end of the Universe. But she was already caught, didn't know how she could possibly explain her presence away with a lie, and hoped that the Doctor would be able to do something about Jack's memory. "I married him, Jack."

Jack had a mouthful of whatever he was drinking, and she could see him fight the urge to spit it out across the desk. "What?" He asked croaked when he eventually swallowed.

"The Doctor. I married him." She paused, taking a drink, wincing at the bitter taste and the burn it left in her throat. She never was a whiskey girl. "I'm over a hundred years old, Jack."

He set down his glass, staring at the remainder of the contents. "Bit older than me." He said softly. "I arrived here in 1869."

"Where your vortex manipulator burned out." Rose said, nodding. "I've heard the stories."

Jack looked back up at her, terror in his eyes. "You … but that means …."

"I have reunited with you in my past, yeah." She said softly. "And I can't tell you when we meet again because I've already told you more about the future than you're supposed to know at this point."

"Like you find me?"

"Like I marry the Doctor." She countered. "Though that is a story you haven't told me." She said as she gestured to his wedding ring. "Know a lot 'bout your past relationships, much the chagrin of the boyfriend you have in the future, but you never once told me you were married."

He looked at the ring and shrugged. "Sorta had to." He said with a guilty grin. "Forgot how big they were on virginity in this time, and I sorta got her pregnant." He twisted his mouth around a moment. "My son set off for North America with his wife and their little girl. Taking some of the family fortune, as it were, starting a new life."

"And you're James Henrick?" She asked with amusement. "That because 'Jack Harkness' came later, and you don't want to disrupt time lines too much?"

"I tell you about that?" He asked, surprised.

"You're our best mate, Jack. 'Course you told me. Never told me your proper name, I never asked. You're Jack. 'S what you'll always be to me."

Jack hummed happily, finished off his drink, than poured another one. "So how's he in the sack? He seems like the kinda man who likes it a bit rough but has endurance. And is it true what they say about big ears and big …? 'Cause I've never had the pleasure of being able to make a comparison."

She stammered, because for a moment she'd forgotten how highly unlikely it was that Jack knew about regeneration at this point.

"Don't tell me you're married and you two haven't …."

"It's complicated." Rose shrugged. "Never had the pleasure of hearing that leather jacket hitting the ground unless it was being peeled off of me."

"Oh so he gives, at least." Jack smirked. "Just incompatible, or?"

"Jack, not talking to you 'bout my sex life." She stopped him from going further.

"Alright, what do you want to chat about?"

* * *

 

Psychic paper got him anywhere, and as the Doctor crawled down the ladder into the underground he was grateful it already got him into the construction site. There was just enough light given off by the gas lanterns that he didn't have to use a torch to see, his superior Time Lord senses allowing him more than adequate vision as well as hearing as he strode down the tunnel. It didn't take him long to find them, their grumbling about the working conditions echoing down the tunnel and picked up by the doctor long before any human would hear. Straightening his bow tie, and then his hat, he put on a smile and pulled out his psyche paper.

"Gentlemen," The Doctor said, stopping their conversation. He waved his bill fold around. "Detective Smith, Scotland Yard. What can you tell me about the deaths of your fellow workers?" Every single one of them remained silent. All of them looked at the ground, the walls, each other, but not at him. "Is there are a reason you won't talk about it to the police?"

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." One of the gentlemen replied.

"You would be surprised. Nice suspenders, by the way. So tell me, then, what is going on that you believe I wouldn't believe you?"

The man who'd spoken, looking to be around thirty, hitched his thumbs in his suspenders and looked back at the workers before taking a step toward the Doctor. "I was there when the third one died."

"Third one?" The Doctor asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, the last one. Papers say he was just found, but that's because, well, they didn't want what we saw to get out."

"And what is it that you saw?"

"It was … green. A flash of green and something else. Gray maybe? It's hard to tell down here, but the green I can't forget. Head to toe, and its head was something else. High, no hair, looked like it was wearing a funny hat."

The description sounded awfully familiar. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, and nothing he'd faced up against since having Rose at his side. The Doctor puzzled it, turning away from the man in an effort to think more clearly.

A hiss echoing down the tunnel made his hearts speed up. He heard the men grow nervous behind him, and he turned to see what was happening. Green eyes peered at him, at them, from the darkness. Despite a pair of them looking right at it, none of them men seemed to see the predator staring them down.

"Run," He told them bluntly, and it appeared whatever was in the tunnel with them must have heard his stern suggestion because it sprang at the nearest workers with a hiss before any of them could move. He ran, but paused to look back at the gruesome sight before him. Part of him wanted to go, stop it, but he promised Rose he'd be safe and his instincts were telling him to flee. Still he paused long enough to observe the creature feeding on the still screaming construction worker.

"Silurian." He whispered, backing away before full tilt running for the ladder that he clamored down earlier.

He was quick, but felt as though his feet were going to betray him at any time. The Silurian, he sensed, was starting to catch up. He scrambled for the rungs, feet slipping a bit as he started to climb. He felt mildly safer as he got about ten feet up, more so when he caught the Silurian noting his position on the ladder and seemingly deciding he wasn't worth the pursuit for now.

The Doctor made it to the top, staggering and struggling to pull himself up and out of the manhole as he heard the construction workers frantically telling anyone and everyone about the thing they saw. Bending over to allow his lungs to work instead of his respiratory bypass, the Doctor panted, scanning the crowd drawing near to find out what all the commotion was about. His eyes skimmed the people and did a double take as he found his loving wife standing beside their best friend not all that far from him.

Jack looked right through him, more focused on the construction workers and trying to hear what they had to say. Rose stood with her arms crossed, shaking her head, trying very hard to mask her amusement.

He staggered over, feeling more like his thousand year old self and not the young man he appeared to be.

"And here I was, about to take a lovely stroll with Jack, and we hear shouts about a monster in the tunnel. Come to investigate, and here you are in the thick of it. Can't leave you alone for a moment can I?" She asked, scolding with her voice alone.

"Apparently you cannot." He said, bending down to give her a quick kiss.

"Hey," Jack said, giving him a slight shove in the shoulder. "Hands off the blonde."

"Oi, Jack, that rule was only meant for you. And, decidedly, anyone who is not me." The Doctor frowned, tugging at the lapels of his jacket. "Last I checked, I could kiss her whenever I liked. Married her, after all."

Jack looked confused. Very confused. Immensely so as he looked from him to Rose.

"It's the Doctor, Jack." Rose said, placing a hand on Jack's arm. "He … he umm."

The Doctor's eyes went wide with understanding. "Oh! Oh, you're not from our time line. Well, you are, you're just not as far along in it as we are. Blimey, this could cause some problems, considering all the things you aren't supposed to know."

"You're the Doctor. Our Doctor?" Jack asked, looking him up and down. "Suppose I sorta see it in the jaw line. Maybe the nose."

"Oh, what is it with you lot and pointing all this out." The Doctor said as he touched his nose, feeling it. He really didn't think it was anything like his ninth self's predominate feature. Devilishly handsome this go around, not at all as harsh as he was back then. Nor was he overly pretty or skinny as he was he last time.

Honestly, what had Rose ever seen in him if it took this long to look this good?

"How about we head back to our home, maybe discuss the circumstances of everything in a more private setting?" Rose suggested.

"Yes, right-o, Rose. Clever as always. I'll fetch William, and we'll return to the house."

"The house?" Jack asked disbelieving.

"Explain on the way." Rose brushed it aside.

The Doctor didn't stick around for the expected teasing, and instead went off to find his butler and the carriage so they could sort out the mess they made with Jack. Or at least explain it. The sorting could come later, should come later, as right now the Doctor thought two immortals were better than one.

* * *

 

"Hi, there. James Henrick." Jack immediately introduced himself as Jenny came to welcome them home.

It took everything in Rose not to snicker when Jenny simply curtsied, ignoring his offered hand entirely.

"Should I put some tea on, ma'am?" Jenny asked Rose as Jack shrugged and held his hands behind his back.

"Yes, I think we'll take it in the den again." Rose said as she handed Jenny her hat.

"Right away, ma'am." Jenny said as she hung Rose's hat and made for the kitchen.

Rose gestured for Jack to follow as the Doctor came up beside her and held her hand as they headed for their destination. Rose would glance over her shoulder, observing Jack take everything in silently.

Once they crossed the threshold of the den, the Doctor closed the door most of the way and whirled around on Jack. "James Henrick?"

"Time lines." Jack replied with a shrug.

"Henrick? Honestly, you're the one who starts up the department store where Rose and I eventually meet? Blimey, thought it was bad enough when we discovered you hosted our first date." The Doctor said, fingers going to his floppy hair and pushing it up in a manner like he would have in his previous body.

For a moment, Rose mused what it would have been like in his ninth body when his hair was so short.

"Wait … you guys met at Henrick's?" Jack asked, brow furrowing before he partly shouted. "You blow up my store?"

"I didn't know it was yours, I didn't even know _you_ at that point." The Doctor retorted.

"And it seems that despite all we'd been through I still didn't know you. Not really. Heard the legends, but didn't know you could actually regenerate." Jack gestured at the Doctor's latest body.

"I'm going to have to lock away a few of these memories before we go." The Doctor warned apologetically, wringing his hands. "When we catch up to you in our proper time line you didn't know what I looked like, or about our marriage. You didn't even know Rose was still with me."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Why's that?"

"It's an event best left undiscussed." Rose interjected quietly.

Jack looked as if he wanted to insist they talk about it but didn't press. A light tap sounded on the door, and it was gentle pushed open by a bashful looking Jenny. "The tea, ma'am. Included a few biscuits as well, as I know Doctor Smith enjoys them."

"Jenny, you're fantastic." The Doctor said with a wide grin as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

A peek at the tray has Rose quite surprised to find the biscuits looked quite a bit like Jammie Dodgers, though perhaps not quite as exact in shapes and sizes.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Jenny asked as she set the tray on a nearby table.

"No, Jenny, thank you." Rose said kindly.

Jenny curtsied again, turned, and left. She shut the door tightly behind her, the click audible in the quiet room.

"So what exactly were you doing down there anyway?" Rose asked as she went to prepare the tea for her and her favorite men.

"Newspaper's exactly as I left it, have a look for yourself, Sweetheart." The Doctor said before stuffing a handful of cookies in his mouth.

Rose smirked at him. "Rude," she said before she turned her attention to the paper. Her brow furrowed as she read the headline that obviously would have caught the Doctor's eye. "Gruesome murder?"

"I've heard about those, been trying to do some investigating myself." Jack said as he came up beside Rose and delicately took the paper from her. "Alien?"

"Not technically," The Doctor said around the last remnants of his biscuits. He reached for the tea cup nearest to him, took a sip, and screwed his face up.

"Put too much sugar in again, didn't I?" Rose asked, cringing.

"A hundred year habit is hard to break," He replied. He did, however, set the cup down and got the extra one off the tray to fix himself a new cup. "And no, Jack, not technically alien. Ancient, but not alien. Silurian, a sorta reptile humanoid. They would say they're from the dawn of time, but they are, in fact, not. Were the first bipeds on Earth, though, so there is that."

"Have we ever encountered them before?" Rose asked, taking a seat and sipping her tea.

"Not you and I, no. I have, long time ago. Fifth self, I believe, was the last time I encountered any of them. Not the best memories of them. Not entirely hostile as a race, but not exactly kind to those who are not Silurian. But this one, it seems to be attacking those in the tunnel, and perhaps not for food. I'm not sure, I'm going to have to visit the city morgue to find out more."

"Think I may have to pass on that one," Rose grimaced before taking a sip of tea. "Really don't want to see what happens to those who cross it."

"I can go with you," Jack offered. "Been a while since I've been able to do anything that felt even remotely like an adventure."

The Doctor snickered. "Bet not. Alright, yes, you can come with me. We'll go tonight, late, likely after Rose goes to bed."

Jack turned and looked down at her with an amused grin. "Still need your beauty sleep after all this time?"

"How do you think I look so good for a hundred twenty-nine?" Rose asked with a wink. "Will you need to be informing your wife you won't be home?" She asked as she nodded toward his hand.

Jack smiled his patent smile. "No," He said bluntly. "She and I have a bit of a, shall we say, agreement after one night she caught me with the butler. If I don't come home, she just sort of shrugs it off."

"Lovely marriage you have, Jack." Rose said dryly.

"Hey, not all of us can marry handsome Time Lords with fantastic asses." He said, reaching over and giving the Doctor a smack on the rear.

The Doctor startled, shot his hips forward as if trying to avoid the already made contact, and fell over.

Rose looked down at the flailing, disoriented heap that was her husband on the floor, and snorted. "Perhaps not, but I'm sure she's much more graceful." She commented before taking a sip from her cup. "Will you be staying for tea?"


	17. A Problem with the Underground pt 2

Rose was in a bit of a fitful sleep. Maybe it was because she left a single lamp on for the Doctor's return. Or maybe it was because her bond with him was partially open for her own sanity, and the faint whispers were keeping her more awake than usual. There was also the lack of hum from the TARDIS, and it wasn't her bed. She wasn't used to sleeping in nightgowns, and, really, she could find dozens of reasons why she couldn't fall fully asleep. And when she did, she'd dream something that had her mind jolt back into awareness even if her eyes didn't open.

She heard the creak of the floorboards, but though nothing of it. Jenny or William moving about, the Doctor coming home, simple shifts in the structure of the home caused by the constant change in humidity. She rolled on her back, breathing deeply, trying to will herself to sleep.

The cold hand clamping down on her throat brought her to full awareness, the claws scratching her skin. As Rose's eyes sprang open, she was greeted with the sight of what could only be described as a lizard humanoid.

"You smell of him." She said, her voice giving away her gender when nothing else could be seen to determine it. "The alien that was down in the sewer. The stench of ape is all around me, but his was different. His was not of this world, and its uniqueness led me here to you." She reached up, stroked Rose's cheek with her free hand. "Such a pretty thing, you are. Even if you are one of them. A shame, really, that he's sullied you so much. You will, however, work as bait. You're his mate, that much is certain, and I have no doubt he will stop at nothing to come for you."

"Who said I needed him to save me?" Rose asked hoarsely, a smirk pulling at her lips.

As the lizard woman looked confused, Rose moved her legs quickly, thrusting up with all her hardly used strength and flinging the lizard woman across the room into the dresser. As she collided with it, a vase tumbled over and crashed to the ground. The lizard woman gathered her wits as Rose got off the bed, and what had to be the Silurian stared at her in disbelief before smiling wickedly.

"I like it rough." She hissed out.

"Not my type, mate." Rose countered, moving in a semi-circle while keeping her eyes on the other female.

"No, but you are mine." She countered, and Rose wasn't quick enough to dodge out of the way of her attacker when she leapt across the room.

Rose's head collided with the hardwood floor, making her see spots a moment before the Silurian was on top of her again. Knowing that she'd likely never be able to pull of the same move twice, Rose opted to roll them over, pinning the Silurian to the floor with her knees on the woman's shoulders while she attempted to pry the hands off her neck.

"I don't want to kill you," The Silurian said.

"Couldn't anyway." Rose croaked out, thrusting the palm of her hand down on the nose hard. The cartilage beneath the scaly skin was more pliable than Rose was expecting, but it still seemed to cause the woman pain. Rose was just out of her grip, barely out of her reach, when the woman recovered and looked ready to strike again.

A flash of a night dress came between them, and Rose looked up to watch Jenny spin-kick the Silurian back to the ground before fluidly pulling a sword from a scabbard. "Leave her alone." She said without fear.

Rose shifted, just a bit, to watch the Silurian get to her feet with a slow smirk. She stared down Jenny, and Jenny showed no fear as she held the weapon between her and the Silurian, ready to strike.

"Don't think your species will be spared because I let you live one more night." The Silurian said before darting away.

Rose moved to run after her, stopping at the doorway when it became clear the Silurian was gone.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Jenny asked from behind.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rose said quickly.

"Please, let me see your neck." Jenny asked lightly taking Rose's arm and guiding her away from the door, shutting it behind them as she brought Rose into the drawing room. Jenny went about turning up the gas lights as Rose closed her eyes and focused her tired energy on her bond with the Doctor.

" _We've had company."_ She said, sending him images of the attack.

She felt the bolt of pure rage that went through him before he said, " _I'll be there in a moment._ "

Jenny's gentle touch made Rose open her eyes, the maid's fingers lightly caressing her neck. "Doesn't look too bad." Jenny said. "Barely tell she gripped ya. Strange thing, that creature."

"I'd like to know how a Victorian maid knows how to use a sword and seems to have a decent grasp on self defense." Rose countered with a tongue touched grin.

Jenny blushed, smiling as she turned away. "Had to, ma'am. No better way to insure my safety."

"The Doctor said he hired you as a bar maid, but that you were homeless otherwise. What happened?" Rose asked kindly, gesturing for Jenny to sit with her on the divan.

She did so, pulling her dressing gown a little more tightly around herself.

It had occurred to Rose then that she hadn't actually grabbed one in all the commotion. While the gown wasn't exactly revealing, she knew that it wasn't considered all that proper to be sitting there without the extra layer. Pulling a throw blanket off the back of the divan, Rose wrapped it around her shoulders while Jenny spoke.

"I was actually born in a fairly well-off family. But I was different, still am. They disowned me, cast me out."

"Why would they do that?" Rose asked gently.

Jenny blushed darker. "I was discovered, more than once, in bed with someone. Which would have been scandalous enough were it a man I was with."

"Oh," Rose said, and Jenny whipped her head up in utter terror. "Oh, Jenny, I don't care about that." She quickly reassured. "Neither would the Doctor, honestly. You know the friend we had over earlier?"

"Mister Henrick," Jenny nodded. "I've heard the stories in the pub. Many men speak fondly of him. Bit of shame there, too."

"Jack, er, Mister Henrick, has none of that." Rose said with a chuckle, hearing the door in the foyer open. "Speak of the devil."

"Rose," The Doctor rushed in first, heading right for her and scooping her up in a tight embrace. "Did it hurt you? Did you …?"

"No," Rose said, shaking her head as best she could. "No, was never that bad. Quite able to handle her, though Jenny helped as well."

"Thank you, Jenny," The Doctor said over her head before leaning back slowly and looking at Rose with confusion. "She?"

"The Silurian's a woman." Rose replied smirking. "Failed to notice that bit, did ya?"

"Well it's not like I make it a point to." He countered.

"Fish Vampires." Rose reminded him.

"Oi, that wasn't intentional! And … I was a bit lonely." His ears turned red as he looked away, then around the room. "Where'd Jack go?"

"He went toward the kitchen, sir." Jenny said, pointing in the general direction. "Just a moment ago."

The Doctor got back to his feet, and Rose left the room with him. She heard Jenny following them as they headed to where Jack would be, and the gasp that came from her as they entered the kitchen.

Rose clamped her hand over her mouth and turned her head to press it against the Doctor's arm. It didn't help, the image of what she saw was burned into her eyes.

Jack kneeling beside William the butler, his throat partially ripped away, skin shredded, and his body in a massive pool of blood.

"I think the Silurian wanted him silenced. Probably didn't realize you weren't home. Odd how it seemed to leave Rose and Jenny here unharmed, but ripped out this guy's vocal box."

"Yes," The Doctor said thoughtfully. "That is odd. Leaves the women relatively unharmed, but quick to slaughter the men. Any men. Or maybe it's a case of 'all the apes look alike', and she can't properly tell who is who. She can, however, pick out the men from the women. Down in the tunnels, she smelled male so she attacks male. But then comes the question of what led her here?"

"She, umm," Rose said, keeping her eyes closed as she cleared the sick feeling from her throat. "She said she could smell you. Knew you were something different."

"Begging your pardon, sir, ma'am, but I think we should ask for the police, the undertaker at least." Jenny suggested, sounding much more comfortable with the situation than Rose was.

"Yes, Jack, could you kindly go and do that, please? Take Jenny with you, if you'd like." The Doctor suggested as he put his arm around Rose, holding her closer to him.

She took a deep breath, hoping for that wonderfully familiar scent of her husband and wool, but caught the stench of blood and death in here as well. Her stomach churned, and she gritted her teeth.

"Are you sure you won't be in need of me, sir?" Jenny asked.

"No, we'll be fine."

Rose's heart pounded, and she clenched her eyes shut. She strained to hear, waited for the click of the front door, then bolted for the back. She'd only just made it to the edge of the back balcony before she vomited. Coughing, gasping for deep breaths of the cool night air, she didn't hear the Doctor coming up behind her. His presence was announced by the weight of his heavy jacket on her shoulders.

"You've never handled that well, have you?" He said softly, stroking her back.

"Someone having simply died, or shot or stabbed, those I can handle. Seeing someone ripped apart, no, never could, that. Seems worse the older I get, too."

"Possibly because you've died more." He said quietly, and Rose turned around to see the sadness in his eyes. "I tend not to make a fuss over it, partly because I've grown used to you bouncing back. But it's never gotten easier, just like time has had no effect on how quickly you recover."

"I hate to think what you must have to see sometimes." She said in a hushed tone as she put her hands over his hearts.

His mouth went into a line, a sheepish smile hiding in it even if there was no joy to his eyes. "I don't tend to look when it's bad like that. Not after …" He sighed. "I had nightmares as bad as those of the time war the first time I saw you … the explosion we set off to stop those Sontarans on Bouken. I watched you run back to try and save the dog. You and your big heart, always getting you into trouble. The aftermath of that …" He didn't need to say it. It was very much like when she had survived the fire the first time she realized she wasn't going to die until the Doctor did. She ached for days, but hid it as she always had.

"I wonder how Strax is doing?" She wondered out loud, the thought of the slightly odd Sontaran tied to those events.

"Last I checked on him, he was forced to work as nurse. Supposedly to restore honor to his clone batch. Not that that makes much sense since they were virtually all killed in that explosion. I think he does it more to restore _his_ honor for himself. Odd potato, that one. I have a feeling he was considered mutated, which was why he wasn't there in the battle, asked to watch the command post."

"Mmm," Rose hummed in agreement before a yawn seized her.

The Doctor chuckled in his chest before placing a kiss on the crown of her head. "Go to sleep, Rose. I know you haven't had much rest this evening."

"What if she comes back?" Rose asked as she leaned her head on his chest between the placement of her hands.

"If she comes back, I'm sure you'll wake up. And I _have_ dealt with Silurians without you." He teased gently before turning her and guiding her inside.

Rose allowed him to guide her up the stairs, tuck her into their bed. Neither bothered with cleaning up the vase, the Doctor simply kissing her temple. "I'll be right down stairs if you need me." He whispered, turning off the gas light she had running as he left. Rose could hear his heavy footsteps moving down the stairs, and then it was quiet.

She got up, moved to the bathroom, and rinsed out her mouth. After a quick use of the other facilities, she crawled back into the bed and closed her eyes. The Doctor mentally caressed her face, and she smiled in spite of herself. A second later a lovely melody came from the sitting room below. The harp, she determined. He played as if he'd done so every day; likely a remembered skill drudged up from the recesses of his mind. It was a lullaby, and she was quickly succumbing to its sound. One note sounded off, and the Doctor swore in Gallifreyan, mixing his words with English, or at least a translatable language. A string must have snapped on him. She giggled, but nothing more as the sleep she craved finally came over her.

* * *

 

He glared at the harp, the broken string taunting him as he played the piano instead. Not quite so easy in this body, fingers not quite made for the task, but it wasn't as if he was trying to play in a concerto. He just wanted to give Rose a sort of white noise in place of the hum of the TARDIS. Nothing was quite the same as the old girl, of course, but the Gallifreyan tune adapted to the limited notes of Earth's instruments would have to do. Her mind had been in a dormant state for a while, but he didn't want to stop just yet.

He played, thinking about the Silurian, trying to understand what was happening with it. He knew that there were tribes of them living beneath the earth, knew they could be hostile but essentially preferred to stay hidden for the most part. So why was this one, particular female attacking those above?

"He's this way," He heard Jack say, having missed the door opening while he was so deep in thought. He listened now, hearing Jack lead the three people he brought toward the kitchen, and the lighter foot of Jenny coming toward him.

"Had another death this evening just as the workers were leaving the underground." She said, and he stopped playing. "Took'em a bit to be able to come see us. Gave'em my statement and … Mister Harkness told them you were with him." She said that last part very softly. The Doctor looked up to see Jenny holding her hands in front of her, looking meaningfully at him. "He's not who he says he is, is he?"

"Never has been," The Doctor smiled slightly. "But he is a dear friend of mine and Rose."

"He's a bit ridiculous." She said thoughtfully, making the Doctor laugh.

"Yes, he can be that." The Doctor agreed before sobering. "And how are you, Jenny? You seem to be taking all this in stride."

Jenny barely seemed to ponder before she replied, "She wasn't all that strange, sir, except that she wanted to hurt your wife. Not that I think she'd have had much affect." It was then that Jenny grew nervous. "I saw the bruises on her neck when I first went to your room." She said, and the Doctor swallowed nervously as he reached up and touched his own throat. "They were practically gone by the time I had a proper look at them. She's not …."

"No," The Doctor replied to the unasked question.

"Neither are you?"

His lips twitched up. "No." He replied simply, and Jenny nodded. "Rose is asleep, you should be, too." He said, gesturing for the stairs.

Jenny, curtsied. "Alright. Goodnight, sir."

"Doctor," He said as she started walking away. He shrugged. "It's my name."

Jenny nodded, more confused by that than anything else that transpired, and then went upstairs.

The Doctor waited until the police left, all three of them murmuring about how they were sure they'd never figure it out, especially if everyone keeps saying it was a lizard, and once they were gone he stood up. Jack entered the sitting room, looking around. "That thing came into your home." He said simply.

"Actually, she came into my temporary residence." The Doctor countered, standing and crossing the room and stopping in front of Jack. "You've been quiet most of the night. Not sure what to think of that, what with the game station having happened years ago for me. You've been and will continue to be a very big part of our lives, Jack, but I don't know how to handle this you."

Jack stared him down, turning the cold gaze he had on the walk to the morgue earlier. Jack never said a thing, which the Doctor had found odd at the time but, didn't give much mind to it. Now he did, now he saw something familiar in Jack's eyes.

"You abandoned me up there." Jack said quietly.

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, I did." He said regretfully. "I was wrong to do so. Even if my reasons had seemed valid to myself, it hardly meant I was being fair to you. But if there is one thing you must understand it's that Rose was in danger and I had to get her away."

"You sent Rose away, how could you …?"

"You know how Rose said there was a crucial event she doesn't want to talk about? How she came back to me, to us, is an event like that for me."

Jack puffed his chest, his blue eyes trying to pierce the green eyes before him. Whatever Jack saw caused him to relax, nod, and avert his gaze. "I'm going to have to forget this, aren't I?"

The Doctor nodded sadly. "I'll have to lock the memories away, yes. I'll set them to unlock a certain time frame after the last time Rose and I saw you, just to be safe. I won't take them away completely, you've already had that happen before."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah." He said.

The two men stayed silent for a moment. "I had another room made in case Jenny, our Jenny, was to stay with us."

"Your Jenny?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Well, going to have to lock the memory away anyway. Yes, our Jenny. Our daughter, Rose's and mine."

Jack smiled licentiously. "Didn't have any issues with the whole cross-species thing, then?"

"Get some sleep, Jack." The Doctor said sternly. "Tomorrow we should head down into the underground, face this Silurian and insure that she doesn't hurt anyone else."

"We? Not bringing Rose?"

"Of course we're bringing Rose. Now, to bed!" The Doctor pointed toward the top level.

Jack sighed, then headed up stairs.

The Doctor smirked, shook his head, and returned to the piano. He resumed his gentle playing, losing himself in thought and the pleasant dream Rose's mind was playing for the evening.

* * *

 

Rose followed her husband and her best mate through the underground tunnel, a 21st century torch in hand to give a bit more guidance to her simple human eyes.

"Should have made a few enhancements this go around." She murmured to herself.

"Don't even joke," The Doctor snapped, not even trying to be quiet or discreet. "I wasn't kidding when I told you not to do it again."

"Do what again?" Jack asked.

"Was hardly going to put her or myself through that again for night vision," Rose snapped back. "Just saying I was so focused on time lines, and saving your arse, to really even give myself a moment."

"What are you two going on about?" Jack asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," The Doctor said absently. "We're approaching where the last worker was killed." He added, slowing up a touch. Rose passed Jack and was beside the Doctor in an instant, shining the light down the corridor.

"You really think I'd be waiting down there?" The Silurian asked, and Rose moved swiftly to stand between her and the Doctor. "Following you was easier."

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked.

The Silurian smiled. "You wish to know your killer's name? How wonderfully civil of you. I'm Vastra. And you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"And what species are you and your … mate?" She asked, looking them both over and lingering a little longer on Rose. "Your friend has the stench of an ape, but you two are different."

Rose ignored the inquisitive arch of Jack's brow.

"I'm a Time Lord." The Doctor replied. "Rose is human, for the most part." He said like an afterthought. "But enough about us, Vastra, where are the rest of your tribe?"

Vastra fidgeted, grief flashing in her eyes. "Killed."

"How?" The Doctor asked.

At that, Vastra's gaze turned cold. "Humans."

"What happened?" Rose asked, slowly moving toward Vastra. She seemed to choose to look at Rose over either the Doctor or Jack.

"I was awoken by an explosion. My … sisters, and I, were intending to sleep through the human race's existence. My original hope was that perhaps a meteor had caused another mass destruction, but the smell was unmistakable. When you are a warrior such as I am, you tend to be able to recall the tangy scent that precedes the death of your enemies. I went to investigate, found the bodies of those I loved, and living, breathing _humans_ nearby without a care. They … they brutally murdered them in their sleep!"

"They didn't know." The Doctor assured softly. "Humans in this century think themselves the only sentient species."

"Then they are ignorant!" Vastra snapped.

"Yes," Rose said, and Vastra's face softened as she spoke. "Believe me, I know. Weren't for the Doctor, I'd never believe in aliens, or even begin to understand what all is out there in the Universe. But maybe, instead of eatin' 'em, you could help them? Could go above."

Vastra scoffed. "Why would I want to live among them?"

"We could help you find the other tribes." The Doctor offered.

At that, Vastra looked sad again. "There is a reason why I said that it was only females here."

"You guys were forced out," Jack said with realization. "Because you wouldn't mate."

"We weren't good for the tribe." Vestra turned her nose up at Jack.

"Not much is different up there," Jack said with a slight nod of agreement.

"You all seem to think I'm just going to join the world run by apes." Vastra mused.

"Do you really want to live down here if you don't have to?" Rose asked, gently placing a hand on Vastra's cool, scaly skin. She stared into Vastra's green eyes and smiled kindly. "Don't think it's in you to kill just to kill. Got kind eyes, you do. Imagine if you hadn't woken to find the others dead, you wouldn't have hurt those men."

Vastra smirked, "That's debatable. One spoke of his female companion as if she were property for his free use."

Rose shrugged, "Alright, maybe one of them deserved it. But you're kind at heart, Vastra. You know it was an accident, now. Can you really keep killing?"

"I do have to eat," She reminded Rose gently, covering her hand with her cold one.

" _Well, someone likes you. Not a surprise she attacked in the bedroom, then._ " The Doctor mused through the bond, and it made Rose smile a slight bit.

"Plenty of criminals and murderers I'm sure the authorities wouldn't mind magically disappearing." Jack suggested.

"Jack," The Doctor warned.

"I'm with him on this one," Rose said over her shoulder. She then turned to Vastra. "Come with us to the surface. Stay with us, see what human civilization is like. If you don't enjoy it, the Doctor and I will find you a place to go."

Vastra looked Rose over. "The clothing looks horrendously uncomfortable."

"It's not the greatest." Rose admitted. "But no one said you had to conform."

"And the humans?" Vastra asked. "How will the apes react?"

"Admittedly, you may wish to conceal your physical identity." The Doctor said sheepishly. "At least when out of the house. It will allow them to be a bit more receptive."

"You're an advanced species." Jack added. "In comparison to what you're used to, it's primitive and backwards, but you'll adjust. Take it from someone from the future."

"It would be a better life." The Doctor said. "You can be among others, even if they are not your kind."

Vastra seemed to consider this, glancing around the tunnel. Rose didn't want to mention that her arm was getting heavy, Vastra having not let go of her hand against the Silurian's cheek. After a moment, Vastra's shoulders sagged with a sigh. "Where would I live if it would take the world some time to adjust to my presence?"

Rose smiled. "I know just the place."

* * *

 

When they returned to 13 Paternoster Row, Jenny's initial reaction to Vastra's presence was to find a weapon.

"It's okay," Rose reassured her.

"She killed William."

" _William,_ as you say, tried to kill me." Vastra countered, eyeing Jenny over with a smirk. "But I remember you. You have … spirit."

"Jenny, here, is our maid." The Doctor introduced with a coy grin. "And yours if you wish to keep her in your employment."

"My employment?" Vastra asked.

"Yes." The Doctor said, reaching in his pocket and handing Vastra a key. "We planned to only be here a couple days. Jenny has already been paid a very handsome sum to stay and keep the house up in what we assumed would be a long absence. I built the house for Rose, but I'm sure she …."

"It was an unusual gift, even for him." Rose cut the Doctor off and reassured Vastra. "And to be honest, I'm not sure either of us would have been able to stay still another day or two."

"We'll stay a couple more days," The Doctor assured. "And then we'll leave you. If you ever need us," He said, pulling his sonic out of his jacket and pointing it to the nearby telephone. The whir punctuated the silence, and when he was done, he put his sonic away with a clumsy flourish. "Press 8. It will be a direct line to Rose's phone, and we will be here as soon as possible."

"Your kindness is … overwhelming, considering I attacked your mate, among other things." Vastra pointed out.

"You're the last of your tribe, lost all those you love. I know how that sits in the heart. But, I also know that, while it can never be properly replaced, it can be soothed over. With time, and the right companions."

With that, Vastra gave a slight grin.

"Come upstairs, ma'am." Jenny said to Vastra warmly. "Let's get you changed and cleaned up."

* * *

 

"We'll come by to visit as often as we can." Rose said as she embraced Vastra on the front step of the house. "We'll being our Jenny along, and River as well. I'm sure both girls would love to meet you."

"I look forward to it, Rose. And thank you, to both you and the Doctor. I believe I may just be in your debt. If you hadn't sought me out, spoken to me."

"It was our pleasure." The Doctor replied. "Truly. My past with Silurians is a little mixed."

"And will I be expecting calls from you as well, Jack?" Vastra asked.

"If you'd like me to," Jack said with a cheeky grin, picking up Vastra's hand and giving it a kiss with a wink.

"As I have said many times, Captain," She said with a sigh. "I'm not interested in your kind."

"But only because I'm male, right?" He asked. Vastra merely grinned at that.

With a few last goodbyes, the three of them left the estate, shutting the gate behind them. Jack walked with them back to the TARDIS, and as they arrived at the blue box, he looked utterly melancholy.

"I wish I could leave with you now." He admitted, stroking the panels. "But you have to blur my memories instead."

The Doctor shifted. "Blur, yes. But … you once said you were trying to find a me that coincided with you. I won't allow you to forget you met us here, but the details, I'm going to have to fog them. The event that Rose didn't wish to speak of took place a year after game station, it's plenty of time for us to have logically come across you."

"When I first arrived here I ventured to Cardiff. Have a house there that I stay at on occasion when I want a break from being James Henrick. Christmas eve I saw you two walking down the road, Rose was all dressed up, and you were looking at a newspaper. I called your name, you glanced around, looked at me. There was no recognition there, not a bit. Even Rose's glance skirted over me. It was a very harsh reality that I may have to wait out my time, hoping I would see you two again." He snorted. "It oddly never occurred to me that I could find you long after you found me." He said with a bit of sadness. He turned toward the TARDIS, gave her a pat, then turned to Rose. "See you soon, I hope." He said as he pulled her into a tight embrace before kissing her firmly on the lips.

"I'm sure you will." Rose said, swallowing past the sad lump in her throat.

Jack then turned to the Doctor, gave him and embrace and kiss as well. "Don't keep me waiting." He said firmly, and the Doctor merely smiled sadly.

"Stand like this, Jack." He said as he guided their friend to stand with his back to the TARDIS. Jack did as he was told, though Rose couldn't see his face to read his expression anymore. The Doctor put his fingers on Jack's temples, then closed his eyes.

Rose watched them, keeping quiet and closing her bond so she wouldn't enter Jack's mind by proxy. A moment later, Jack stumbled.

"You alright, Mate?" The Doctor asked, shifting his hands to Jack's shoulders and smiling widely.

"Sorry," Jack said. "James Henrick," He added in that very flirty way, and it took everything Rose had not to make a sound. She sucked her lips in to prevent herself from smiling, trying to stifle the threatening snort.

"Late," The Doctor replied. "Maybe another time." He said with a wink and patted Jack on the shoulder.

Jack only watched the Doctor walk away so far as if something prevented him from turning enough to see the TARDIS. Without another word, Jack took off.

"Inside, quick." The Doctor said, snapping his fingers.

The doors opened, and he guided Rose inside quickly. He shut the door behind him, and ran for the console. He sent them into the vortex just as Rose came up to stand beside him, looking at the monitor.

Jack was running toward them, but she knew it wouldn't be like their reunion in Cardiff. He was too far away, already mostly gone.

"I set a trigger that once he rounded the corner, he'll have realized he saw the TARDIS," The Doctor explained. "He won't remember my face, sorta substitute it with the one he knew. At least until that awkward dinner at the Smiths' where Mickey blabbed that Martha was pregnant and I mistakenly said 'again'." He said once they were finally in the Vortex. A couple seconds later, Rose's phone rang from where it sat on the console. "And that's likely our dear Captain now, ready to tell me off." The Doctor mused as he removed his top hat and mussed his hair

Rose reached for her phone, frowning at what she'd seen on the screen. "'S not Jack." She said before answering. "Hello?"

"Rose, it's Rory. Amy's missing."


	18. Not as it seems

"Hello, you've reached the voice mail of Amelia Pond. I'm unavailable to take your call at the moment, so please leave a message …" Rory hung up before it could finish.

Hearing Amy's voice like that, all stiff and professional, was alien. And he could say that because he'd been on alien planets before, and spoke to alien beings, and really he just knew.

She hadn't come home from work the day before, which he supposed wasn't terribly unusual if the shoot went long. London was a bit away, after all. But she wouldn't answer her phone, and hadn't for the two days she'd essentially been missing.

Rory knew he could call the police, file a report, and hope for the best. But he also knew that there were two people who wouldn't dilly dally, who really cared if Amy was missing. Who, like him, would go to the end of the Universe to find her.

And really, for all he knew, that's exactly where she was.

So he pulled out his cell phone, took a breath, and dialed.

It rang three times.

"Hello?"

"Rose, it's Rory. Amy's missing."

"We'll be there as soon as we can. Just give me the date." Rose replied.

"July 12th," He said, then as an afterthought, "2010. 1:17pm"

"Right, hold tight." Rose replied.

Once Rose hung up, Rory went down the hall to change out of his scrubs. He heard the TARDIS materialize as he finished fastening his jeans, and quickly pulled on an oxford before returning to the living room of his and Amy's flat to greet their friends.

"I didn't know who else to call," He admitted as the doors to the TARDIS opened. The Doctor stepped out first, looking as worried as Rory felt, Rose right behind him with a serious expression. "She left for a shoot three days ago. Heard from her when she arrived in the city, haven't since. When she wouldn't answer her phone the first day, I called the agency, they patched me through to some … assistant, or something. They said she hadn't shown up to the shoot yet. She sounded vapid and likely wouldn't tell Amy someone was looking for her so I've been trying her cell every chance I got since. She's just gone, vanished."

"We'll find her, Rory." The Doctor said, putting a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"After you called I got on the phone with some friends of ours in London," Rose told him, getting out her phone, doing something on the screen. "Gave them the details we knew about Amy's work, her name, a description. They're free lancers who do a lot of work for Jack when he needs 'em, but don't want to be tied down in Cardiff. They sent me pictures," She said, handing Rory the device.

Amy. Pictures of Amy walking down a London street, a coffee cup from her favorite place in one hand, phone in the other, and she was alone. Until she wasn't.

In the pictures that followed, Amy's former psychiatrist was there, coming up behind her, talking to her. Amy seemed angry in the first few, then seemed thoughtful in a few more. The next couple, Miss Smith was reaching for Amy, and then they were gone.

"I tried to track her in the Universe before we showed up." The Doctor said apologetically. "I couldn't find anything."

"So she's, what? Gone? Dead? What?" Rory asked, looking between the alien and his wife, trying very hard to stay calm and losing control quickly.

Keys clanged against the door, and a very Scottish voice cursed before it sounded as though one of those keys fit in the door. They turned, and Rory waited with baited breath as the heavy oak was pushed open and his wife stood on the other side.

Amy looked at him wide eyed, holding the door awkwardly with the keys still in hand, a coffee cup and white paper bag in the other. She then shifted her gaze to the Doctor and Rose, then to the TARDIS.

"Oh thank God, was getting bored of the daily humdrum. Can't believe we actually thought we wanted to live the normal life for a bit. Just let me pop to the loo, get changed, and we can go see some planets." She said eagerly as she crossed the threshold, closing the door with a grin that fell when no one returned. "Alright, what's happened? Why do you lot all look like that?" She asked, glancing about them.

Rory moved, grabbing her tightly, holding her snug. "What the hell happened to you?" He said into her ginger hair.

* * *

 

"Umm, nothing? I went to work, Stupid Face." Amy said affectionately, leaning back and brushing at his cheeks. She'd never known Rory to be this worked up or worried about her.

"You were with Her." The Doctor said suspiciously, both he and Rose looking at her as if they didn't trust her.

Which stung, considering the progress she thought she had made with Rose.

She and Rory had spent a month with them, or at least the equivalent of one, seeing all kinds of wonderful times and places on what her Raggedy Man affectionately called "the honeymoon tour." It was the most relaxing time she'd ever spent with him since first stepping foot on the TARDIS, and the lack of running or danger had allowed the four of them to do things together. And that whole time, she quietly thanked and apologized to Rose by not saying anything mean, as well as doing little things to help out or simply get to know her. When they departed, she thought she was on better footing with the Bad Wolf, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"What are you on about?" She asked as she let go of Rory.

He showed her the phone in his hand. The phone that was not his.

She saw the picture of her Psychiatrist reaching for her, saw the way she tried to pull away from Miss Smith.

And her head hurt.

Things didn't add up. She was sure she remembered bumping into an old woman on the street at that spot, apologizing even as her phone fell from her hand and skidded across the sidewalk before falling into a man hole. But at the same time she remembered darkness. Pain. Needles, maybe? She remembered Miss Smith, but not like that.

"I got away from her." Amy said. "Shouted real loud and called for help. She took off pretty quick." She told the Doctor and Rose as the scene played out in her head. Of the people on a busy London sidewalk looking at her while Miss Smith panicked and darted down the alley. "Made me drop my phone." She added, remembering that detail about it falling down a manhole. "Forgot to get a new one."

That was the right memory. Why did she think otherwise? An old woman? Really?

The Doctor stepped toward her, pulled his sonic out of his jacket, and waved it around her. Amy frowned glancing to Rose, partly relieved that the suspicion was gone, but now it was replaced with concern. Well, concern was at least better. Concern meant animosity was gone.

The Doctor pulled the sonic back and stared at it, a little crease forming on the bridge of his nose. He then stepped forward, leaned in really close, and sniffed.

"What the bloody hell ya doing?" She asked.

"You smell normal," he replied as he leaned back. "Proper human hormones and everything."

Amy's heart dropped in her stomach. "Proper human hormones, you say?"

"Yes." He said, though he didn't seem happy about it either.

"Awesome," She said. "Well, as I said. Let pop to the loo and change, we'll go see some planets." She gave Rory a kiss on the cheek before darting past him and down the hall.

A quick glance over her shoulder, and Amy saw the three conversing, looking relieved, or a bit relieved, and not watching her at all.

She went into the loo.

Setting the coffee cup and paper bag on the counter, she looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She then opened the bag, pulled out the box inside, and tried to work up the nerve to open it.

She had to. If she went off through time and space and was … well, what might happen? She had to be absolutely positive.

Amy opened the box, pulled out the stick, and did as she was supposed to do.

She waited, heart hammering with fear and excitement as she chewed her thumb. After counting quietly to sixty in her head, she looked down at the stick resting on the counter.

And her heart broke.

Negative.

That was the second one, the other taken in her hotel room the day before when she wanted to be sure before telling Rory what she thought would be good news.

Maybe she had read the first one wrong?

Opening the cabinet under the sink, she went for her tampon box, finding the discreetly open wrapper she'd left the other one in. Pulling it out, she stared at the "positive, 2-3 weeks" that was on the digital screen.

Tears tickled her eyes as she understood what it must have meant: She lost the baby. It would only be a matter of time before she got her period.

No. No she was never pregnant in the first place, right? Yeah it was just an odd glitch of the digital test. They were new, after all, couldn't be too reliable yet. Must have had a bad one, or it malfunctioned, nothing to worry about. Best two out of three, and they said negative. She hadn't felt sick, she hadn't had cravings; it was just a missed period that made her want to check. And time travel. Month for them, a week and a half post wedding for everyone around them. She just counted wrong.

She darted for the bedroom, changed into a simple summer dress and leggings, then darted out.

"Right, so, where we going?" Amy asked.

"Not Victorian London." Rose sighed. "I'd like to stay in the jeans and t-shirt, yeah?" She said, tugging on her black leather jacket.

"Probably shouldn't attempt that again, anyway. Not for a bit, at least." The Doctor conceded. "How about … random?"

"Random sounds good." Amy declared.

The Doctor smirked, snapped his fingers, and then linked his hand with Rose's as they both headed inside.

As she moved to the TARDIS, Rory stopped her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked her, looking equally worried and relieved.

"She never stood a chance." Amy assured him.

Rory cupped her face, studying her. "You look like you've been crying." He noted.

Amy grinned, though she knew it was barely believable. "Guess I just didn't realize how much you would all worry about me." She said, though it was a lie thin enough to see through.

Rory looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, then his shoulders dropped. He smiled, relief winning out, and he kissed her.

"We should go. Would seem terribly impolite not to after I called them here for nothing."

Amy didn't need to force the smile now, and she bumped her husband's shoulder before Rory grabbed his jacket and they entered the TARDIS.

* * *

 

" _You don't believe her."_ Rose stated through the bond as they moved to go inside.

" _No. Something is off, definitely off. She's too normal, too well balanced. We showed her pictures of her encountering a woman she knows now cannot be trusted and she had no bio-chemical reaction._ " The Doctor replied as they moved up the ramp and went about their synchronized movements of getting the TARDIS ready for their next trip. " _The signals read suspiciously similar to those the clone Martha had all that time ago. Remember that? Except Amy doesn't smell like Martha did. And no amount of bathing could change that._ "

" _So what do you think is wrong?_ " Rose asked.

" _Not sure,_ " The Doctor said, looking at Amy and Rory as they came on board. " _I'll run background scans whenever we're on the TARDIS, see if I can understand what's happening. Until then, we act like everything's fine._ " He said as he moved to the randomizer and put his hand on the dematerialization switch. "Alright, Ponds, are you ready to be transported anywhere through space and time?"

Rory looked over his shoulder and grabbed the rail. "Now I am." He said.

"Alright." The Doctor said as Amy nodded. He threw the switch. "Geronimo!"


	19. A Town called Mercy pt 1

"You didn't bring a jacket?" Rose asked as she noted the flimsy material of Amy's dress.

Amy looked down at her outfit. "Thought we'd be going somewhere warm." Amy replied.

It should be one of the rules, really, right up there with "don't wander off": Always bring a jacket.

Over the years, it became a lesson learned. The Doctor doesn't always get the flight right, so bring a jacket just in case. You can take off a layer if it's too warm, can't add one you don't have if it's cold.

Shucking her leather jacket, she handed it to Amy. "Just in case." She said.

"What about you?" Amy asked.

Rose smirked, heading for the jumpseat. Beneath her fingers a new jacket the color of espresso appeared. Leather like her last, it complemented her black boots and red top with the dark washed jeans. Rose slipped it on, adjusting it before pulling her long, straight hair out from beneath it. "Problem solved." She said with a shrug.

Amy smirked and shook her head just as the TARDIS landed smoothly.

"So where are we?" Amy asked as they all headed for the door.

"Earth, United States, 1870." The Doctor replied over his shoulder as he stepped out. Rose was next, and while the sun was high, and the air was a little dry, she was still thankful for the jacket as the breeze went over them. "Somewhere in the dessert." The Doctor added. He lifted his hand, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Looks like there's a town over there. Just have to follow the road to get there."

"Well, let's go." Rose said, kicking up a bit of dust before as she took her first few steps.

The Doctor quickly fell into step with her, and she peeked over her shoulder to ensure their friends were right behind them. The walk was quiet, and she wondered briefly why that was. It wasn't long before that Amy was thought to be missing, and she half expected to hear whispers of a conversation between the newlyweds based on that. But they stayed silent. Well, Rory was a pretty forgiving man, and if Amy had come across that woman again she likely didn't want to have to think about it too much. Especially if she wasn't really and truly Amy.

As the road wound to the small town, Rose could see a strange sort of borderline made up of various things from the dessert surrounding it. There was an entry way, a sign hanging above.

 _Mercy, Population 81_. Crossed out was an 80.

They stopped at the entryway as if the _Keep Out_ signs had actually meant something.

" _Well, this is odd."_ The Doctor said.

"Mmm," Rose hummed in agreement, looking around, catching glimpses of people in their windows looking at them.

"Look at this. It's a load of stones and lumps of wood." Amy gestured to the borderline, giving a stone a little nudge with her shoe. The Doctor knelt down, pulled his sonic out, and scanned the border. "What is it?" Amy asked as he looked at the readings.

"A load of tones and lumps of wood." The Doctor said as he got back up. He took Rose's hand, and she and the Doctor headed into the town at a slow pace.

"Umm, the signs do say keep out." Rory pointed out, making them pause and look over their shoulders. Amy and Rory were both standing just at the entryway, not moving an inch over the line.

"We see keep out signs more as a suggestion than an actual order. Like dry clean only." He said with a grin.

"Which is why I don't have that red dress you loved so much anymore." Rose reminded him. She then looked back to Rory. "Keep out signs usually mean something's going on that shouldn't be. Least as far as our experience is concerned."

"Can't argue that," Amy smiled as she stepped over the line. She looked back at Rory. "Come on."

Rory looked at the sign, to them, and then seemed to decide he was out-voted and there really wasn't much point in arguing. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed.

"Where is everyone?" He asked as they had come a ways into town and hadn't seen anyone out in the streets. "It's the middle of the day. Should be some sort of something happening."

An explosion of sparks stopped them all, and Rose whipped her head around to a lamp post rigged up with wires. And light bulbs.

"Excuse me, 1870?" Rose said, looking up at her very confused husband. "Said the house was modern yet we had gas lights?"

"Was modern, is modern. Electric lights weren't used in houses for a few more years from where we are. As it is, this is wrong. It's too early. About ten years too early for street lamps."

"Keep out sign." Rose said. "Always a sign that something's not right."

"So how do we find out what that is?" Rory asked.

The Doctor beamed. "I know just the place." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a toothpick. He continued to smile around it as he headed for a particular building with an odd swagger to his step.

Rose glanced up, seeing _Saloon_ over the door, and rushed to be as close to her husband as she could be. There was chatter within, and music that was nearly too stereotypical for words.

All of it silenced when they walked through the doors.

The Doctor's giddiness was uncontained, at least through their bond, and he sauntered over to the bar like all the heroes in the old Western movies they'd seen during quiet times in the Vortex. She followed, ignoring the looks some of the men gave her in passing.

"Tea," The Doctor ordered in a fake accent as he leaned on the bar top, looking at the pretty blonde saloon girl on the other side. "But the strong stuff, leave the bag in." He said, jaw widening, and a weird half-choking noise coming from him before he reached up and pulled the toothpick out of his mouth.

Well, that confirmed it: every blonde he'd ever met wouldn't be throwing themselves at him with this body. The girl looked him over like she could tell just how alien he was, and was hardly thinking him impressive in the least.

"What are you doing here, son?" She asked him, her voice thick with a twain he didn't have in his faked voice.

"Son? You can stay." He said with a chuckle in his regular voice.

A chair scrapped behind them, and Rose turned to see a preacher getting to his feet and looking the Doctor over with suspicion. "Sir, might I inquire who you is?" He asked.

"Of course," The Doctor replied with a grin directed at the holy man. "I'm the Doctor, this is…." He didn't finish his sentence when he gestured to Rose as the whole population of the saloon were on their feet. Rose shifted back, placing herself as much between them and her husband as she could. She caught Rory's eye from where he and Amy lingered near the door, and he seemed to understand as he gripped Amy with both hands and moved her just outside the bat-wing doors where they could still see and hear but be out of danger.

One man stepped toward the Doctor, but Rose put a hand out toward him, stopping him the second he came in contact with her outstretched hand. He looked her in the eye, then slowly backed away.

"I gotta question." Someone on the opposite side of the room called out, but he was too far back for Rose to properly spot him. "Is you an alien?"

"Well, um," The Doctor stuttered, a wave of panic coming from him and into Rose's heart. "Bit personal. It's all relative, isn't it?" He tried to sooth. "I mean, I think _you're_ the aliens. But in this context, yes, I suppose I am."

Rose didn't have time to chastise him, either out load or through their bond, as next she knew she was being shoved aside and her husband was being wrangled.

"Oi," Rose said, elbowing her way through the crowd to try and get to him.

"Stay back, Miss." One man said, and she didn't even get a good look at him before she punched him in the face.

Two more men tried to hold her, and she elbowed one before grabbing the other and flipping him over her head and tossing him to the ground. She swung kicked one she sensed coming up behind her, then dropped to the ground to remove a gun from two of the down men's holsters. She came up, guns drawn and aimed at the next pair of townsfolk who contemplated stopping her.

When they raised their hands, she turned and crossed the gap between her and the townsfolk who she could see were pointing weapons at him. Something in the distance shimmered into existence but it wasn't her primary concern.

She pointed one of the guns toward the sky and fired before leveling them at the townsfolk.

They turned around, gapped at her, some seeming surprised to see she made it to them.

"You let my husband back into this town right now, or you lot are going to regret it terribly."

"We can't." One said, as the preacher continued his prayer. "He said he was the Doctor."

"Did I stutter?" Rose asked. "Bunch a brutes back there bigger than me and they're bleeding on the ground. Didn't have a weapon then, so if you know what's best for the lot of ya, you'll let him back in."

"We could just toss you out there with him." Another added in.

"Touch her, and you spend a night in jail." Someone behind her said in a booming voice that had even the preacher man stop. "You, bow tie, get back across the line, now." He added, and Rose shifted her gaze from the men immediately nearby to her husband.

Over his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of something terribly out of place and highly weaponized. Something that looked dangerously human in his western attire. When the Doctor stepped over the line, it shimmered out of existence.

"Now you, little lady. Hand over those guns before you hurt someone." That voice said more gently.

"Was exactly my intent." She said as she turned around, spotting the badge pinned to the man's waist coat underneath his heavy brown jacket. She glanced at it before meeting his brown eyes. "No one touches my husband, tries to hurt him, without having to deal with me." She said as she handed the guns to the Marshall. "Don't need those to stop 'em either."

The Marshall smirked, "Could see that." He said with a gesture of his head back toward the men Rose took out.

"Isaac, him said he was a doctor. An alien doctor." The idiot who asked the question of the Doctor's species spoke up.

"That a reason to hand him to his death?" The Marshall, Isaac, asked as he put his hands against his hips.

"But Isaac, it could be him!" The idiot protested, and Rose took a deep breath before she turned and pummeled the man testing her patience.

"You know it ain't." Isaac said calmly, as an absolute fact, and turned to head back toward town. "Ma'am." He said to Amy with a tilt of his head. It was after Isaac passed that the townsfolk released her and Rory, and Rose moved toward them instantly.

"You alright?" She asked them, noting Amy putting her hand over her stomach.

"Yeah, we're fine." She said.

"You sure?" Rose asked, gesturing to Amy's oddly placed hand.

"Yeah," Amy said with a shake of her head. "Yeah, think it was just, you know, overwhelming." She looked past Rose. "Oi, Doctor!" She called, and Rose turned to see her husband following the Marshall to the police station.

"Come on." She said before chasing after him, hearing Rory and Amy following behind. They caught up to him quickly, and once she was again at his side, Rose laced her fingers with the Doctor's. "You alright?"

"Physically, yes." He said, hints of the storm in his voice. "But there's something going on, something that led to my wife holding a gun, and that needs clearing up now. They want something, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

He stepped up to the wrap around porch on the Marshall's building, stepped inside with Rose on his tail, Rory and and Amy close behind her.

"What was that outside?" The Doctor asked without preamble as they entered.

Isaac sat on the corner of his desk. "The Gunslinger," he replied without hesitation, the Doctor's surprise mixing with Rose. "Showed up three weeks back. We've been prisoners ever since. You see that borderline stretching 'round the town?"

"Hard to miss." Rose commented as she crossed her arms.

"Woke up one morning, there it was. Nothing gets past it, in or out. No supply wagons, no reinforcements. Pretty soon the whole town's going to starve to death."

"But he let us in," Rory pointed out, mimicking Rose's stance.

"You ain't carrying any food. Just four more mouths to feed. We'll all die even sooner now."

"What happens if someone crosses the line?" The Doctor asked curiously. "I was thrown over it for a reason, after all."

Isaac reached over for a Stetson that had an obvious bullet hole in it, and tossed it to the Doctor.

After a bit of a fumble, the Doctor caught and examined the hat. He stuck his finger in the bullet hole. "Ah, well, he's not a very good shot, then."

"He was aiming for the hat," Isaac corrected him.

Rose took the hat from the Doctor, then reached into his jacket for the sonic.

"What does this Gunslinger want?" Amy asked as Rose found the material repair setting on the screwdriver. "Has he issued some kind of demand?"

"He says he wants us to give him the 'alien doctor'." Isaac replied, and Rose stopped in her repairing of the hat.

"Have you been here before? Do something to the locals?" She asked the Doctor.

He looked at her indignantly. "No!" He replied, straightening his bow tie. "Not the only alien Doctor in the Universe, you know. Hardly would be the first time someone said they were 'the Doctor' when they weren't me, either."

Rose patched up the second hole on the hat before putting it on her head, smiling as it fell over her eyes. "Can never be too sure, you know."

The hat was lifted from her head, and the Doctor placed it on his own with a wink. "That's absolutely true, Sweetheart." He said as the lights flickered. "So I think it's about time I met him. Don't you, Isaac?" He asked as he looked toward the Marshall.

"Who?" Isaac asked nervously.

"The chap outside said I could be the alien doctor, but you said I wasn't." The Doctor said with a quick gesture toward the street. "So you already know who it is. Resident 81, I presume. So beloved by the townsfolk that he warranted an alteration to the sign. Probably because he rigged up these electrics."

"Beloved until something in the dessert wanted to kill him." Rose said with a shrug.

"Yes, which means he's not fully beloved. Can't be, only half the townsfolk were willing to toss me out over the line, and I suspect it's because they were hoping the Gunslinger wanted just any ol' alien doctor. Which, I presume, would actually not be the case. So, if half the town suddenly wanted to throw me to my death, if not the whole town, this is where I'd want to be." The Doctor said, whirling around and heading for the jail cells.

"I don't know what you're …." Isaac bolted up, trying to stop the Doctor.

"It's alright, Isaac." A voice stopped the Marshall stopped. In one of the cells, a lump covered by a blanket shifted, and as the cover was thrown back, Rose could see a man with half his face tattooed emerge from his hiding spot. "I think the time for subterfuge has passed." He stood, moved to the bars of the cell, and gripped them with a smile. "Good afternoon. My name is Kahler-Jex. I'm the doctor."

Isaac stepped forward, pulling a small ring of keys from his pant pocket and unlocked the cell containing Kahler-Jex.

"The Kahler, I love the Kahler!" The Doctor said, and the second the other alien was free from his cell he took his hand and shook it vigorously. "One of the most ingenious races in the galaxy. They could build a spaceship out of Tupperware and moss."

"Sounds like something you'd try to do," Rose said as she placed her hand on the Doctor's arm, forcing him to stop his friendly assault. "You'll have to forgive him, he gets a little excitable sometimes." She apologized for him.

"How did you get here?" Amy asked as Rose guided the Doctor away from the man so he could move to take a seat with Isaac at the Marshall's desk.

Rose listened as Jex, as he was apparently properly called, related the tale of how his ship crashed not far from the town. Isaac interjected here and there, speaking of the alien as he if he walked on water. He'd saved the townsfolk, he gave them the electricity from his ship, he was basically the best thing that had or could ever happen to a quaint, remote town that didn't have much of anything.

So it made Rose wonder …

"Why does the Gunslinger want you?" The Doctor asked the question on both their minds.

"It doesn't matter," Isaac said quickly.

"Ah, it sorta does." Rory reminded him. "You just said that you can't cross the town line, can't get food. Seems like it matters."

"America's a land of second chances," Isaac said firmly. "We called this town Mercy for a reason. Some 'round here don't feel that way."

"Now, Isaac, we've discussed this." Jex tried to sooth his friend, but it didn't seem to work.

"People whose lives you saved are suddenly saying we should hand you over." Isaac reminded him firmly.

"They're scared, that's all." Jex reasoned. "You can hardly blame them."

"Them being scared, scares me." Isaac admitted, and it was evident how true that was. He then looked to The Doctor, glancing at Rose, Rory, and Amy on occasion. "War only ended five years back. That old violence is still under the surface. We give up Doc Jex, then we're handing the keys of the town over to chaos."

There was a pause before the Doctor looked to Jex. "Did you try to repair your craft? Surely someone with your skills …."

"It really was very badly damaged," Jex was quick to explain.

" _He's lying._ " The Doctor said even as he nodded with a smile. " _Kahler could repair a ship reduced to scrap. There's something he's not telling us._ " The Doctor stood before Rose could reply. "We evacuate the town. Our ship's just over the hills. Room for everyone. Rose and I'll pop out, bring it back here, be back before you can say hallabaloo."

"Really? Simple as that?" Amy questioned, crossing her arms.

"Simple as that." He said with a confident nod.

"Son, how are you gonna get past the Gunslinger? Gonna shoot ya on sight." Isaac asked.

"What's he do with the bodies once he's killed?" Rose asked, straightening her shirt.

Isaac glanced to Jex who looked mildly nervous. "Never killed anyone from town before." Isaac admitted.

"Well then, just a bit risky then." She looked at her husband, eyeing him over. "Haven't had to properly run for a while. Sure this body can go as quick as before?"

"Hold on," Isaac said, getting to his feet. "What're you on about? You can't just out run 'im. He shot that hat from twenty yards. Took it clear off my head and was already reloaded to do it again. Ain't no way you can avoid 'im no matter how quick you are."

"I don't have to out run him, I just need to be between him and my Doctor." Rose countered.

"Isaac has a point, Rose." The Doctor said. "No matter how fast your bounce back, chances are the Gunslinger could still get to me. What we need is a distraction." He said, looking to the Marshall. "You say he's never shot anyone from town?"

Isaac shook his head.

"Then he doesn't want to hurt anyone he doesn't have to. Which, of course, gives me an idea."

* * *

 

"You just got the time lines sorted out not that long ago, and now you've got Rory acting as bait for the Gunslinger?" Rose asked as she followed the Doctor toward the hitching post.

"No, Isaac is bait for the Gunslinger, Rory is the innocent civilian meant to deter the Gunslinger from slinging. And the time lines are fine, secure, we don't need to worry about them anymore. Whatever involved them, whatever was meant to happen with them together has happened." The Doctor rambled.

"So that's it? What's meant to be has come to be so he can die now?"

That stopped the Doctor, causing him to turn around and march toward her. "No," He said honestly. "But I couldn't very well let you go with Isaac. If you were shot, if you were killed, he would be beside himself. And when you would inevitably come back from the dead it would be alone and at the mercy of the Gunslinger. Bad enough you're coming with me as a precaution, but I'd at least know to pick up and carry you until you woke up."

"It's only a bit of pain." Rose reminded him gently, though wasn't exactly keen on feeling the intense ache of being shot. "Nothing like what Amy would feel if Rory didn't make it back."

"He'll be alright." He promised her. "They'll both be fine." He kissed her forehead before turning swiftly and approaching the hitching post. Rose jogged to catch up to him, doing so just as he smiled at the preacher. "Can we borrow your horse, please? It's official Marshall business."

The preacher looked nervous. "Not sure it'd be proper, the two of you riding."

"Oh, don't worry, Rose is my wife." The Doctor assured, noting he preacher glancing at his left hand. "Lost my ring chasing bandits." He said quickly with a cheerful grin. "But I promise, nothing funny going on."

The preacher eyed Rose, then unhitched the horse and handed the reins to the Doctor. "He's called Joshua. It's from the Bible. It means 'The Deliverer'."

"Good name for a horse," Rose commented as the Doctor mounted the horse. It neighed as he settled in the saddle.

"No, he isn't." The Doctor said confidently as he reached down to give Rose a hand in mounting behind him.

"What?" The preacher asked.

"I speak horse. He's called Susan, and he wants you to respect his life choices." The Doctor half scolded as he steered Susan away from the post and gave the reins a flick.

" _How come I don't understand animals? Or babies, for that matter. You once said you could speak baby, too._ "

" _Untranslatable language._ " He replied. " _Though if you could talk to animals it would have made the thoughts I had of you while you were in a healing coma much more applicable."_

Rose didn't ask for an explanation.

* * *

 

He was a funny little alien, this Jex. He was all short and portly, and the tattoo on his face made him look a bit intimidating from this angle. And Amy felt bad for him. The story he weaved before, it didn't seem fair that he was being hunted by the Gunslinger. She thought that maybe Rose was suspicious of him, maybe the Doctor was too, but Amy couldn't really see why.

He stared out the window, hope in his eyes, posture straight, and she smiled.

"When this is all done, do you want us to take you home?" She asked.

"Thank you," Jex said, glancing at her over his shoulder with a smile. "But I have already given everything I have to the Kahler. My skills, my energy … all that was good in me." He said thoughtfully. "That's all I ever wanted to do. End suffering."

His gaze became distant.

Amy glanced around, finding the Marshell's discarded jacket. She grabbed it, bringing it over and draping it around Jex's shoulders. "Here." She said, giving his arms a little pat in the process.

"You're a mother, aren't you?" He asked her curiously.

"No," She said, shaking her head. "Thought I might've been, thought I was gonna be, but … I was wrong."

Jex smiled sadly. "You seem to have the instinct." He reasoned. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be just yet. But soon."

Amy nodded. "Are you a father?" She asked him.

He smirked. "Yes. In a way, I suppose I am." The lights flickered inside the office, and all good humor left Jex's face. He looked firs to the ceiling through is monocle, then to the window.

An alarm very much not belonging to this time period echoed from the hills, and Amy stepped outside to see if she could find any evidence that something was going terribly wrong. She heard Jex's feet as he joined her on the porch.

"That's the alarm on my ship!" He exclaimed with disbelief.

"Maybe the Doctor wants to get it working again," She suggested.

"But that wasn't the plan! He's not following the plan!" Jex chewed out.

Amy snorted. "From the stories I heard, experience I've had, that's expected."

Jex huffed before retreating back inside.

Amy waited, watching the hills and the horizon until the alarm stopped. She sighed, shook her head, and went back. She closed the doors, turned to say something to Jex and was greeted with the barrel of a gun.

"I'm sorry, Amy." Jex said rather unapologetically, and her mouth went dry. "He really should have followed the plan." He took a couple steps back, and Amy raised her hands.

She watched him as he kept the gun pointed on her, not taking his eyes away from her for more than a second at a time as he went about the office and about stuffing things in his pockets.

"What are you doing? What are you planning?" She asked him.

"Isaac says he doesn't care about my past, but things may have been uncovered that even he might struggle to forgive." Jex explained as he moved to her and grabbed her arm in a surprisingly tight hold. "So it's best we beat a hasty retreat."

"We?" Amy choked out. "I'm coming with you?"

"It's like your friend the Doctor figured out: the Gunslinger is programmed to avoid taking innocent lives unless it is necessary. So it's unlikely he'll shoot so long as you're with me."

"Well, color me reassured," Amy said as Jex dragged her out the door.

They only made it as far as the porch step before he stopped them.

Amy caught Rory's eye, and relief crashed over her.

Jex let her go as the Isaac drew his weapon, and she ran to her husband. He clutched her to him tightly as they followed the Marshall back inside.

"Doc, what are you doing?" Isaac asked, pain in his eyes and voice as he looked upon the man he called friend. He gently took Jex's weapon, keeping it in hand.

Jex swallowed, and at least had the good sense to seem contrite as he was backed against a wall.

"It was stupid of me." He said, and Amy couldn't disagree. "I realize that now. I just thought I'd put you all in enough danger. I'm not sure why it wants me so badly, what I have done to make it want me dead, but I thought if I left …"

"He's lying." The Doctor's voice came from the door way, his tone cold, even. Amy watched as he and Rose pinned Jex where he was with their eyes. Rose stalked him with elegance, a wolf moving for the best position to strike her prey. The Doctor moved fluidly, power in his muscles giving him a balance and presence he only had when facing the worst of foes. "Every word." He continued. "Everything he says, it's all lies. This man is a murder."

* * *

 

"Oh, hello, what do we have here?" The Doctor said as he slowed down Susan.

Rose eased her grip on him as he shifted to dismount.

Susan neighed.

"Yeah, I know we're in a hurry." He said, waving at the horse as if telling it to calm down. "I just want to check it out."

Susan snorted.

"Yes, it could be important."

Susan whinnied.

"Oi, don't swear!" He chided, turning to stare at the brown steed with a glare.

"'S alright," Rose said as she reached forward and gave Susan a pat. "Used to this. Distracted by shiny and suspicious things alike." Susan neighed, and Rose thought it sounded sort of affectionate. "What did he say?"

"He said you were too good for me, and you should be in charge." The Doctor replied, sounding distracted as he lifted a hose off the ground and sniffed it. And wasn't Rose thankful the licking thing had stopped.

The Doctor gave the hose a little tug, and Rose heard the mild crackle of electricity.

"We didn't come out for the TARDIS, did we?" Rose finally asked what she'd been wondering for a little bit.

The Doctor turned to Rose, dropping the hose and stepping over it as he returned to her and Susan.

"No," He said as he stroked Susan's mane. "As I said, Jex is lying. And while I _could_ get our ship, and I _could_ evacuate the town, that wouldn't really solve anything."

"We could have at least gone back to get food." She said as he remounted, leaning back out of the way as his long leg nearly clipped her in the head.

"Yes, I suppose we could've." The Doctor said, looking thoughtfully at her over his shoulder. "If we're here more than a day or two, we'll go back and load up a couple bags to be safe." He assured her. "But first, let's see where this leads us." He said, encouraging Susan to carry on.

Rose followed the hose with her eyes as best she could as the Doctor guided the horse up the hills. She heard the sparks, the flashes of electricity brighter than that of the sunlight.

"Whoa," The Doctor said, repeating it until Susan slowed his trot and then finally stopping. The Doctor dismounted, reaching up a hand to help Rose down. Susan snorted. "Oi, am so polite."

Rose chuckled, and as the Doctor moved toward a tarp hidden in the sand. She leaned toward Susan. "Rude and not ginger, he is. Most of the time, anyway."

Susan whinnied.

"Must you gang up with me with animals, too?" He said as he stepped up and over the mound the tarp covered. "Don't even speak the language." He added on a grumble. He reached down, pulled back the tarp, and revealed what looked a lot like a giant egg.

"That his ship?" Rose asked, moving toward it.

"Yes," He said, his voice growing dark.

"Where's the damage?" Rose asked, chewing her lip. Didn't matter how long she'd been doing this, the only ship she really knew properly was the TARDIS. Jex's ship looked intact to her, but it hardly meant that was actually the case.

"Non-existent." The Doctor replied with a firm stomp with his foot. The reverberations echoed, signifying its hollowness.

The Doctor reached in his jacket and pulled out his sonic, pointed it at the ship. A door slid open, but alarms went off.

"Not very stealthy of you," Rose yelled as she covered her ears at the same time as the Doctor.

He didn't reply, dropping down into the ship where the door opened. Rose could hear the faint sound of a computerized voice, but couldn't hear the words through the blaring of the alarms. She felt a spike of panic that wasn't hers, a sense of franticness, and then the alarms stopped.

"You alright?" She called, heading toward the ship, peering down inside. The Doctor was looking at something on a screen, his anger mounting and pouring into her. Rose began to breath heavily, fists balling, and she wasn't even sure why.

She closed off her bond so she could gain some control, and the moment she did she heard the hum of a weapon powering up.

Now her heart was pounding for a different reason, her breathing not getting a moment to calm. She lifted her hands, turned slowly to face the Gunslinger she knew was behind her.

He was a mess. It was the only thing that came to mind as she took in the man melded with machine, the skin he still had looking as if he'd been severely burned. There was a tattoo similar to Jex's just under his remaining eye, and he seemed to look at her with great consideration instead of the malice she expected.

Rose did not say a word, waited with resignation for the shot that would be fired and send her into a few hours of agony.

"Don't shoot!" Her husband panicked behind her. "Please, don't shoot. We know who you are," He said, nudging her mind for her to reopen the bond. She did, and was flooded with what he just learned about Jex, about this poor man in front of them, and what Jex did to him and so many others. "We know who Jex is too." He added, and the Gunslinger lowered his gun. Rose kept her hands raised.

"You know what he did?" The Gunslinger asked, his voice overly deep and a touch robotic.

The Doctor nodded as he came to stand in front of her. "I do."

"Then you know why he has to die." Gunslinger stated.

"You want justice." The Doctor said with another nod. "You deserve justice, but this isn't the way. I can call the Shadow Proclamation, they'll arrest him, put him on trial."

Gunslinger raised his weapon, and Rose grabbed the Doctor's jacket and pulled him back and put herself between him and the weapon.

"When he starts killing _your_ people, you can use _your_ justice." Gunslinger said.

"Believe me, if Jex laid a finger on one of my people with intention to harm, I wouldn't be above returning the favor. But all that's left of my people are my family, and that is only by chance."

"I have no family left." Gunslinger said. After a beat, he lowered his weapon. "No more warning shots. I'll kill the next person to step over that line. Make sure it's Jex." Gunslinger warned before turning around and walking away. Before he came to the edge of the hill, he shimmered out of sight.

"Jex tortured and maimed that poor man, he was never even told what he was volunteering for." Rose said as she stared at the spot where Gunslinger vanished. "He deserves what waits for him."

"Do you really believe that?" The Doctor asked.

She looked him in the eye. "I remember the first time Jenny regenerated clear as if it just happened. How it was forced because someone wanted to … experiment on her. I'd have killed Gridin, almost did. Jenny was forced to endure pain she didn't ask for, and that man has been through the same thing. Jex … Gunslinger may be his creation, but the Jex's the real monster."

"We should hear the reason Jex has for his crimes. Gunslinger may feel wronged, but he may not have been the only one."

* * *

 

"It was stupid of me." Rose heard Jex's plea as she and the Doctor came back to the Marshall's office. They stopped in the doorway, observed how they had Jex backed against a wall, Isaac with a gun in hand still partially pointed at Jex. There was also a gun in Isaac's other hand, which looked as though it was taken from someone. Amy was clutching to Rory a bit more than normal, her knuckles white where she grabbed his jacket while he had his arms protectively around her.

Something happened.

From what Rose could gather, it was Jex threatening Amy.

And didn't that just stir the wolf inside? She and Amy may not have been the best of mates, but she was a companion, she cared for the Doctor, and she was Rory's wife. Those were all the reasons Rose needed to be properly ready to throttle Jex with one wrong move.

"I realize that now." The pathetic excuse for a man reasoned. "I just thought I'd put you all in enough danger. I'm not sure why it wants me so badly, what I have done to make it want me dead, but I thought if I left …."

"He's lying." The Doctor said, the storm raging in his voice. Whether it was Rose's growing ire against him, or the Doctor's own that started the storm, she wasn't sure.

Jex looked up, caught their eye, and paled. As one, she and the Doctor moved toward Jex, passing the other three to properly fence him in.

"Every word." The Doctor continued. "Everything he says, it's all lies. This man is a murder."

"I am a scientist." Jex countered indignantly.

"No, you're a horrible man, who's done horrible things and doesn't want to face the people he's hurt along the way." Rose countered, stepping up to him and grabbing his arm. Jex looked down where she held him, eyes going wide with surprise. "Move," She ordered, pulling firmly and nearly tossing him across the room and into a chair. She could see he was calculating her strength, a glint of wonder and intrigue that she wanted to slap off of him.

"Tell them what you are." The Doctor asked him, coming to stand at the corner of the desk near Jex's chair.

"What I am is a war hero." He had the nerve to state.

"Okay," Isaac said, trying to keep everyone calm. "Somebody want to tell me what's going on?"

"The Gunslinger's a cyborg." The Doctor said, glancing up to meet Isaac's eye.

"A what?" The baffled Marshall stated.

Jex smirked as Rose stared him down again, taking off his monocle and polishing it with a cloth from his pocket.

"Half man, half machine," The Doctor explained. "A weapon. Jex built it."

"Mutilated _him._ " Rose corrected as she held the cocky scientist's eye. "Took a man who only wanted to help protect his family and destroyed his body and his life."

"Yes," The Doctor conceded regretfully. "Jex and his team took volunteers, told them they'd been selected for special training, then experimented on them. Fused their bodies with weaponry, programmed them to kill."

"Okay," Isaac said as if he was trying to get an understanding and was failing. "Why? Why would you do that, doc?"

Jex finally tore his eyes away from Rose to look at the man he'd called friend. "We'd been at war for nine years. A war that had already decimated half our planet. Our task was to bring peace. And we did." He said with his head held high. "We built an army that routed the enemy and ended the war in less than a week! Do you want me to repent? To beg forgiveness for saving millions of lives?"

"And how many died screaming on the operating table before you had found your advantage?" The Doctor pressed, his green eyes and set jaw hardly masking the storm inside.

"War is another world." Jex tried to reason. "You cannot apply the politics of peace to what I did. To what any of us did."

"Oh I'm very well aware what lengths people will go to to end a war. I've been there. For ages I thought I was guilty for the genocide of two races. Came to discover that's not entirely the case, but I still carry the guilt. I still repent. I'm reminded when I look into my daughter's eyes how she will never properly know of her people. I relive the horrors every time I come across a ramification of the war _I_ ended."

Jex had the nerve to snicker. "I see it. There, in your eyes. Looking at you, Doctor, is almost like looking in a mirror. There's rage there, like me. Guilt, like me."

At that, Rose scoffed. "You have no guilt. No remorse. Weren't for Gunslinger, you'd likely have carried on without a care in the universe."

"Which makes me wonder what brought you here in the first place." Rory asked, and Rose could hear that whatever Jex tried to pull before, Rory wasn't letting it go.

"When the war ended, we had the cyborgs decommissioned." Jex replied.

"Yeah, see how that worked." Amy growled.

"It must have got its circuitry damaged in battle."

" _He._ " Rose growled.

" _It_ went offline and began hunting down the team that created _it._ " He replied, a bit of menace with every emphasis. "There were just two of us left. We fled and our ships crashed."

" _He_!" Rose snapped. "Not _it_. That is a man out there. A man you brutally, mercilessly ripped apart and patched together with tech to fight the war. How many of you lot sat back and him…."

"It." Jex said firmly.

The rage bubbled high unlike it had in a very long time. Not even the Doctor's calm would sooth her as she leaned forward, supporting her weight with her hands on the arm of the chair as she stared into Jex's beady eyes. "Say 'it' instead of him one more time …."

"It." Jex said, excitement in his eyes as he waited for her reaction.

Everything from then felt like an out of body experience. Rose grabbed Jex's throat, wrenching him out of the chair and shoved him through the door. He stumbled and she didn't care, giving him a hard shove whenever he needed one to keep going. People from town began to come out of the various buildings, some of them shouting encouragements as she marched Jex to the town line.

He stopped at the borderline, turning to face her, and Rose took a handful of his shirt and waist coat, lifted him and tossed him over the line. Jex scrambled, got to his feet, tried to actually shove her away but did little more than nudge her in comparison. She grabbed his shoulders, turned him around, held his neck and forced him to watch as the air on the distance shimmered and the Gunslinger appeared on the distance.

"That's a man." She said to him. "He has a name. Not Gunslinger. Do you remember it, _doctor_ Jex? Do you remember the name he had before you destroyed him?"

"Rose." She heard her husband say a few feet behind him. "Rose, please, we need to discuss this. Need to discuss with Isaac the best way to handle this."

"He didn't discuss it with the man coming for him right now."

"You turned Jack immortal without asking him." The Doctor tried to reason.

"I never hurt him." She countered. "What I did, I did out of love. Blind love. And I've already righted it. Did what I could, apologized every chance I've gotten over the last hundred years, and will do so until we take our last breath." She took a breath then, watching Gunslinger come closer. "'Bout time a lesser man did the same, yeah?"

"And what of what I did? How am I forgivable when Jex is not?" The Doctor tried to sooth. "War brings out the worst in people, you know that more than anyone else here."

"Step aside, Doctor." Isaac said behind her as Gunslinger got closer.

"No, Isaac, she just needs …." The Doctor snapped but silenced with the cocking of a gun.

"Let him back in." Isaac demanded.

"No." Rose said firmly.

"Woman, I do not mess around. He is the man that saved this town from Cholera, gave us a good life."

Rose turned to look Isaac in the eye despite the gun now pointed between her eyes. "He's the man who reduced one of his own kind to a living hell, and refused to face the consequences when he couldn't kill him with a flick of a switch."

"Rose." The Doctor pleaded. "Please." He took a breath. "Let him go, and we can all figure his out _._ "

A collective startle and gasp went through the townsfolk as the air crackled so close, Rose could feel it on her fingers. With Gunslinger there, and Jex forced to face him, she let go of his neck. She took two steps away, turning to watch how it would all play out.

"Make peace with your gods." Gunslinger said as he leveled his gun arm at Jex.

Jex studied his face. "Kahler-Tek, isn't it?" He asked, and Gunslinger didn't respond. "I remember all your names, even now." He said a bit loud, and Rose was certain if he had the nerve to look at her, he would have. "I'm helping people here."

The weapon charged. "Last chance. Make peace with your gods."

"No!" Isaac protested, and to Rose's, to many people's disbelief, the Marshall pushed Jex to the ground just in time to save the alien's life only to get shot himself.

Rose stiffened, her mind clearing as she realized what came to pass.

The Doctor dropped to the Marshall's side, cradled his head, fumbling in his pocket for the screwdriver.

There was an exchange that Rose couldn't hear through the blood rushing through her ears, but she knew the moment Isaac was gone.

The Doctor bowed his head, looked at something in his hand. Slowly he got up, and then turned to the townsfolk. On his jacket was pinned the Marshall's badge.

"Take Jex to his cell. If anything happens to him, you'll have me to answer to." He said to the townsfolk.

"Let me," Rose said, head bowed as she moved toward Jex. She held out her hand, and he took it to pull himself up. She dragged him back across the line, still holding his hand as she wrenched it behind his back. She paused, looked over her shoulder and met the eye of the Gunslinger. Tek. Every ounce of regret, of pain, of sympathy she felt for him she broadcasted as much as she could. If he had anyway of picking it up, she wanted him to. She heard the Doctor's intake of breath, but didn't dare look at him. Instead, she turned back to Jex and gave him a shove.

"An innocent man just died for your judgment call." He said despite the mob of people following close behind. "How does the weight of his death feel on your soul?"

"Isaac isn't the first to die because of me." She said as she pushed him up on the porch and through the doors.

"So how can you stand there like you're better than me?" Jex asked with taunting curiosity.

Rose gave him a shove in to the cell, slamming the door on him. "Never said I was." She replied, voice steady despite her remorse. "I just wouldn't rip a man apart then call him 'it', nor would I put an entire town at risk to prove a point."

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she stuck her hand out to have the cold key placed in her palm. She locked the cell, then turned away, the crowd clearing out as the Doctor, Amy, and Rory returned.

Their companions looked nervous, not wanting to make eye contact with either her or the Doctor.

"We have … a problem." The Doctor said, voice lacking the anger she was expecting.

"What's that?"

"We have until noon tomorrow to hand Jex over to Gunslinger, or he will cross the line he imposed on the town and kill everyone in it."


	20. A Town Called Mercy pt 2

Rose sat on the edge of the porch, the wind rustling her blonde hair, the sun setting but not lighting the sky ablaze. As she watched it she could vaguely recall an old rhyme one of her mother's navy boyfriends had told her. _Red sky at night, a sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning._

It was something to do with the weather, but right now, looking at the hues of blue and purple, gold and orange, with no red to be seen, Rose could see it only as a premonition of what they would be facing come day break.

And she felt entirely responsible.

Had she not lost her cool, she wouldn't have brought Jex to the town line. Would not have thrown him over and made him hold still and await Tek. Isaac wouldn't have died trying to save someone he saw only as a good man, and Tek wouldn't have threatened to kill everyone for the Doctor's show of mercy.

But how could that scum, that filth, sit there and call Tek 'it'? Even the Master, for all his lunacy, called the Toclafane his children. His sons and daughters.

When the Doctor's boots clunked against the porch, she cringed. She'd been outside for an undetermined amount of time, all the while listening in on her husband, Amy, and Rory on occasion as they discussed all the possibilities as to how they could get out of their current situation. No matter how it was looked at, things weren't likely to go their way.

The Doctor sat down, his long legs bent awkwardly with such a low seat for him to be perched on. He was still wearing the hat and the badge, and despite the grim look on his face, his eyes were shining.

"This is going to be more difficult that I originally thought," He started. "Isaac wanted me to protect Jex and the town, but it hardly seems possible. Rory's calling for justice. Apparently Jex was about to risk Amy's life, and was already marching her out the door at gun point when he and Isaac returned. Amy, she's being a bit more forgiving. Thinks what you did, making him face what he made, was punishment enough." He turned to her, and Rose was caught off guard by the smile he gave her. "I'm really not sure what to do."

"And that's what has you grinning? Not knowing what to do?" She asked him, and he chuckled.

"No, no, that is far from it." He replied, shaking his head before really taking her in. "After all these years, all the things you've seen, the places you've been, you're still Rose. You still have your humanity." He explained. "I should be furious with you, but I can't be. Because I know why you did what you did, and … and there was a part of me that wanted to throw Jex over the line myself." He said, his smile becoming bashful. "I imagine if it weren't for you, I might have. I'd have been a far lesser man than I am now, more willing to turn a blind eye to my morals and standards. You, you were only thinking about Gunslinger."

"Tek." She corrected softly. "Been trying to correct it in my own mind. His name's Tek, not Gunslinger."

"Tek, yes, he was. Have to wonder if he thinks that way now, though."

Rose hummed a lamented response, looking back up to the darkening sky.

There was a light tap on the door frame, and Rose and the Doctor turned to see Amy in the office door way. She gave a small, shy grin.

"There was a couple tins of soup and a little stove, something that sorta looks and smells like a roll. Rory's heatin' it up, thought you two might wanna come in for a bite."

"Thank you, Amy." The Doctor nodded, and Amy flashed Rose a warm smile before heading inside. "She may not agree with sending Jex to his doom, but she's on board with your thinking that Gun- I mean, Tek is a proper man and should be treated like one."

"Yeah." She agreed. Rose then let out a sigh, pushing herself to her feet. "Come on. Big ol' brain of yours' is gonna need food to think at its best.'

"Soup from a tin," The Doctor grumbled. "When we do get back to the TARDIS, it's fish fingers and custard for me. Just getting back from terrible Victorian England where they don't have proper anything, and now I'm stuck another day without Fish Custard or Jammie Dodgers."

"You'll live." Rose said, kissing his nose as he stood up, giving it a gentle tap before flicking his hat. "Not sure I like this look."

"And why not? Stetsons are cool." The Doctor stated, fixing his hat before adjusting his bow tie.

"Doesn't suit this particular kit." She said, reaching up and taking off his jacket. He smirked, and she could feel the tease and flirt he wanted to make at the edge of their bond, him not quite letting it get to her. "There," She remarked as she looked him over in just his waistcoat over his oxford. "Bow tie still looks a touch funny, but you look closer to a proper cow boy now."

"Cool," he said before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Come on," He said. "Let's go see what Mister Pond has on for dinner."

* * *

 

Amy and Rory were stretched out on one of the bunks in a cell quite a distance from Jex's, Amy curled up on top of her husband. Both stared off into nothing, trying to rest, maybe sleep, as darkness came over the village.

Rose sat on a chair behind the desk, watching the Doctor and Jex go about some sort of stare down where neither said anything, and Jex blinked frequently.

It was so utterly quiet and still that the gentle knock on the door caused her to startle.

"Come in," The Doctor called, not taking his eyes off Jex until the door was open and the pastor came in. "Marshall," He nodded to the Doctor, turning to Rose, "Ma'am," He gave a nod to Amy and Rory as they came out of the cell where they'd been resting. "You need to come outside." He said to the Doctor.

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just … come outside. And you should put that on." The pastor replied, and he pointed at the holster hanging by the door.

The Doctor stood, gathered the holster, looked at it with mild disgust.

"Not going to allow your wife to do your dirty work for you again?" Jex taunted.

Rose met her husband's eye, making him focus on her as she took the holster from it and strapped it on. "'S just for show." She reminded him.

"Doctor?" Amy said hesitantly, coming up to them. "You're not …?"

"Like Rose said, Pond. Just for show." He gave her a confident smile as Rose finished with the belt, and he then turned and nodded to the pastor.

He led them outside, the holy man quickly stepping aside as the Doctor surveyed the scene before them.

It was a small group, but one Rose recognized most of the men as those who helped lock Jex up earlier in the afternoon. There was a clear divide between them and the rest, all tense as they waited for the acting Marshall.

"What's going on?" The Doctor asked, taking a few steps off the porch.

The young man who had asked the Doctor if he was an alien took a step closer. "He in there?" He asked nervously. The Doctor nodded once. "Leave the keys, you and the missus take a walk. Time you and she get back, this'll all be done."

"I promised Isaac I'd protect him." The Doctor countered.

"Protecting him got Isaac dead." The young man retorted. "Tomorrow it's going to get all us dead."

"We won't let that happen," Rory reassured despite knowing full well they didn't have a single idea how that was going to happen.

"'S what Isaac said," Another man gave input. "But now we've got to say 'we lost' and give that thing what it wants."

"He." The Doctor corrected before Rose had a chance to let the rage surface. "Let's get that clear now. Gunslinger is a man, whether he looks it or not. Isaac told me the war wasn't all that long ago, and I'm sure some of you know war changes people. Just for most it's not so evident on the outside."

"Yeah, well, _he_ got ill feelin' toward the doc. We ain't, but we thinkin' 'bout our families. Hand him over and we all safe again." The young man stated.

"You know I can't do that." The Doctor countered.

"Then we got us a problem," The young man threatened, pushing aside his jacket and showing off the holster on his hip.

Rose started to dart forward, but the Doctor reached out and stopped her before she could make it in front of him. He then took a slight step closer to the young man, his other hand moving toward the gun strapped to him.

"Please don't do this." He asked.

"Why? Reckon you quicker than me?" The young man asked in return, lifting his chin in challenge.

"Almost certainly now. But this? Lynch mobs, the town turning against itself? This is everything Isaac didn't want to happen."

The young man drew his gun, and Rose went to move again but was stopped by a hand curling around her arm. It surprised her to see it was Amy and not Rory holding her back. The young ginger tightened her grip, but more in worry than in fear as she tried her best to give reassurance to Rose.

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked the young man threatening him with a weapon.

"Samuel."

"And how old are you, Samuel?" The Doctor asked

"Nearly nineteen," He said.

"That's eighteen, then. Too young to have fought in the war, so I'm guess you've never shot anyone before have you?"

Samuel cocked the hammer of the gun, lifting it a little more. "First time for everything."

"Yes, there is. But two thoughts, here, before you do." The Doctor pointed behind him. "You know I'm alien, Samuel. You know I'm different. So's my wife. You shoot me, you're shooting her, too. A young woman, doesn't look much older than you, does she?" The Doctor soothed, and Samuel looked up and caught Rose's eye for a moment before looking away. "We don't know how old Gunslinger was before Jex turned him into a weapon, made him a killer. If you shoot me, my wife by extension, you're letting him make you into a weapon, too. A killer. Don't you see? Violence doesn't end violence, it extends it. I don't think you really want to become that man."

"There's kids here." Samuel reminded the Doctor, the fight leaving him.

"I know." The Doctor nodded. "Kids I can save, if you'll let me."

Samuel seemed to consider this, then lowered his weapon. He nodded, looking properly chastised, and turned around left. A few of the men followed him, the rest of the townsfolk going in another direction.

The second he mob dispersed, Amy let go of Rose's arm. Now freed, Rose ran for the Doctor and jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck. He caught her, held her tight, breathed her in.

"Frightened people," He said over his shoulder. "Give me a Dalek any day."

"Oh, don't say that." Rose chided gently as he set her down. "Head inside, get that thing off you, yeah?" She suggested.

"Yes, excellent idea, Sweetheart." He said, turning and heading inside.

"I'm going down to see if Luciel'll will spare us a couple draught." Rory said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the tavern. "She didn't seem on Samuel's side, maybe she'll be nice."

He didn't wait for Rose or Amy to say anything before he turned and left them outside in the cool, night air. Rose could feel faint hints of frustration coming from the Doctor, but knew it was likely just Jex egging him on.

"I'm sorry," Amy said when Rory was out of ear shot. "I just … I couldn't watch you nearly get shot again. And, well, I thought maybe the Doctor might defuse the situation better." She said sheepishly.

"You're right," Rose agreed. "'S instinct to put myself between him and danger. Doesn't always make for an easy negotiation."

Amy nodded.

There was a comfortable silence between them as Amy turned and leaned on the rail surrounding the porch. Rose joined her, enjoying the freshness of the air against her skin.

"I know," Amy started nervously. "I know I haven't always been nice to you. Know we're not all that close. But Rory said you didn't even hesitate to come for me when he thought I was missing. Said there wasn't any sorta discussion he didn't hear between you and the Doctor. Just a simple, straight forward 'we'll be there'. And that you were in seconds."

"You're our friend." Rose said simply. "You and Rory, you're part of our family now, for better or worse. You're like … you're like the sister-in-law I never got to have." Rose added with a tongue touched grin that made Amy laugh. "You don't think I'm good enough for your brother, but then you change your mind once you get to know me."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Amy nodded. "So I suppose if we're sorta, like, sisters-in-law in a strange sorta way, then I can ask a personal question?" As Amy turned her inquisitive expression to Rose, Rose nodded. "What was it like? Being pregnant. How did you know?"

"Oh." Rose said, taken aback. "He never … never told you how Jenny came to be?" Amy shook her head. "I … I actually can't … I mean. Jenny wasn't conceived, she was generated. We, umm, stumbled across a war where they were using these machines. Meant to create a human using only one parent's DNA, bit of mine got mixed up with the Doctor's." And as she rambled, Rose came to a realization of what Amy was asking. "You don't think you're …?"

"No. Well, thought I was. I just … I worried for a moment what might happen, being pregnant on the TARDIS."

"A friend of ours was pregnant and we took her on a trip. Just a quick one 'bout a week before she knew. Baby turned out fine, beautiful. Doesn't alter anything, promise."

"But Rory. He was … and then you."

"I just made him breathe again. Healed him up. 'S all I did." Rose assured, smoothing circles over Amy's back. "You sure you're fine, though? If you need a break, sit in the vortex or go home after we get this mess sorted, the Doctor will understand."

"No, it's fine." Amy promised with a sad smile. "Just, for that one quick moment I was excited. Sorta wish I wasn't wrong."

Rose only nodded. She didn't know if she completely understood. The pregnancy scares she did have were so very long ago and with a man she would have regretted having a child with. She knew about her infertility before she and the Doctor ever came together in such a way, so there had never been a moment of panic or possible excitement of having a child with the man she loved. As a result, she felt she could add nothing more to their conversation.

Which was likely for the best as she noted Rory returning with his arms raised with what looked to be two steins in each hand. At the same time, a spike of giddiness from the Doctor preceded his excitable exit from inside the office.

"I have a plan." He announced.

"This never ends well," Rose teased as she and Amy turned to lean with their backs against the rail as Rory came up to them.

"Oi, you. Now listen." The Doctor said as he took a stein from Rory before continuing. "Jex can use his ship, escape, lure Tek away. Take him off this world, and out somewhere else. Mars, for instance, is currently uninhabited."

"How's that gonna help any?" Rory asked as he handed Amy one stein before handing Rose another. "Jex will just head off to some other planet, looking for a good life, and Gunslinger, Tek, will follow. Another planet will be forced to deal with them."

"Ah, but that's the thing, Rory." The Doctor said in a quiet voice. "I was on his ship. I've seen the fuel reserves, and they're low. Now, he could get smart and rig up a solar charger, or make fuel out of whatever he'll find on the planet he'll land on next, but he won't get very far before he'll _have_ to land. Nowhere near Earth at this point in time has a population. He'll have nowhere to hide."

"So we're sentencing him to death after all." Amy noted.

"No." The Doctor said, still not raising his voice. "Because I know the Kahler people, and if there is one thing they know how to do it's nearly everything, including survive in their ship indefinitely. Jex said something in there that got me thinking. He said 'we all carry our prisons with us.' His ship can become his prison, and Tek his warden. Jex can live, so long as he never comes out again."

"It's a stupid plan." Amy told him bluntly.

"But it's not like we have any better options." Rory reminded her. "He don't do it, Tek will just kill him here or everyone in the town. Him or us. I choose us."

"But his ship is in the hills." Rose reminded the Doctor. "How ya gonna get him outta town?"

"Distractions." The Doctor said coyly. "Get a few of the braver folk in town, maybe good ol' Samuel, add in Rory, we get you to paint replicas of Jex's mark on our faces, but make them just a touch off. Distract Tek long enough to get Jex out of town.

"And how do we know Tek won't just kill everyone here anyway?" Amy asked, taking a tiny sip of her ale.

"Because as Rose has pointed out, he's still a man. He can be reasoned with. All it will take is pointing out the unique vapor trail of Jex's ship and he'll follow." The Doctor said with confidence. "He's already been here a few weeks, knew exactly where Jex was, but didn't kill anyone. Not until he was denied his revenge did he threaten the town directly. He still has mercy in him." The Doctor said with conviction, then gave a little snort. "Ha! Mercy." He grinned from ear to ear, looking boyish, then took a sip of his drink.

His face twisted round in disgust as he shook his tongue out and then proceeded to wipe it on the back of his hand.

"Wow." Rory deadpanned.

"The Oncoming Storm." Rose also deadpanned, sipping her drink. "Bloody terrifying, that one."

"Horrifying." Amy agreed, and the three each took a drink as the Doctor continued to spit before yelling at his drink for tasting so terrible.

* * *

 

"You sure you want to do this?" Amy asked Rory as she straightened the collar of his jacket. Rose was finishing painting Samuel's face, Rory already complete. She glanced away from her work to watch the couple that reminded her a bit of she and the Doctor in their earlier days.

"Well, don't want to. I mean, I could get shot … again. That's always fun. But it'll be fine, I'll be fine." Rory reassured with as much confidence as he could muster.

"You _will_ be fine." The Doctor insisted as he tucked his screwdriver in his holster, hiding it behind the gun already there. "Rose made sure they weren't a match. Tek is smart, he wants Jex, he won't just go on a firing rampage."

"You sure?" Samuel asked.

"Positive." The Doctor said with confidence.

There was a lull of quite as Rose finished the last of Samuel's fake tattoo.

"There, all set." She said, setting down the face paint.

"Thanks, ma'am." Samuel said with a nod as he put his hat back on.

"Why do I have to stay here again?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

"You're safest here." Rory replied.

"And everyone else is throwing themselves in danger." She countered. "Why am I being treated different?"

At that, they all looked at each other with confusion. Why were they protecting Amy by shielding her?

"Someone would have to be here if anyone comes to the Marshall's office for help." Jex supplied from in his cell.

"Right. Yes, you're my deputy." The Doctor said, moving to Amy and giving her the keys. "You know when to let him out, then Rose will get him safely to his ship."

Amy nodded, then moved to Rory to give him one last hug and kiss before he and Samuel went to their waiting spot.

Rose moved to the Doctor, flicked his Stetson. "Be careful, yeah?"

"Careful is my middle name." He countered as he placed his hands on her hips.

"Know your name, don't have a middle one." Rose countered, arms going around his neck. "And if ya did, Careful wouldn't be it, 'specially this go around."

He chuckled in his chest before bending his knees for the best angle to give her a kiss. "I'll still try."

"'S all I ask." She replied, bringing his head to hers once more. She poured all the love she had for him through their bond. "Just in case." She said as she pulled back.

He spoke in Gallifreyan, a long way of saying "I love you", and then headed out the door with Rory and Samuel.

There was silence after that, not a person in the village daring to make a sound as noon crept closer.

The crackle announcing Tek's arrival was heard inside the office.

"Here we go." Amy said softly, her fingers worrying the key to Jex's cell. Rose practically held her breath as she waited for the signal, jaw clenched as she braced herself.

The high pitch screech of the sonic from the middle of town wasn't quite as loud as Rose was expecting.

"Ready?" Amy asked as she turned to Jex's cell. He and Rose both nodded as Amy turned the key. Jex darted out, and Rose followed close behind.

"Come on, run faster." She growled at him as they darted to the outer parameter.

"Not as fit as you are." He countered bitterly.

Rose gave him the occasional push, all while ignoring her husband's spikes of panic or fear.

The ship wasn't quite as far into the desert as Rose had originally thought. Jex followed the power line, or maybe even instinct, right to it, and Rose would check over her shoulder to make sure that the Tek was still readily occupied in the town for the time being.

As Jex pulled the tarp off his ship, he paused.

"Is this really the way?" He asked.

"The Doctor and I will be sure to keep tabs on you." She told him bluntly. "You land on another planet with a population, put _anyone_ else in any sorta danger, you'll have us to answer to. And believe me, we are a far worse thing to face than even the Shadow Proclamation."

Jex smiled, nodded. "I believe that. You balance each other, keep one another in line, but I imagine if it's a mutual agreement, you two could destroy a whole planet on a whim." She said nothing to that, keeping her eye on him as he tried to stare her down. "Do you really believe I am worse than your husband?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because even with all the terrible things he's done, he's always looked to the greater good. He destroyed his planet and his people to save the Universe from destruction. You destroyed a man's life to win a war, and then tried to shut him down and saw he was nothing more than a weapon. You didn't even ask him, didn't even tell him what he was giving up." She stepped closer. "No matter what good you think you've done, no matter how many lives you saved, you have that glint in your eye. Same one I've seen in every man and woman we ever came across who thought what they were doing, had done, was the only right way. Lost their sense of right and morality to justify what they'd done. He has mourned every life given, every life lost, faces those he's hurt. You shrug it off.'"

Jex nodded. "I thought you'd have made an excellent weapon." He admitted. "But I don't think we could have deprogrammed your sense of … morals." Jex disappeared into the ship, the door sliding shut.

Rose backed up, keeping her eye on the ship.

She could hear an echo down in the town, like something coming over a speaker, but was just far enough away not to hear it. She thought she could make out the tone of Jex's voice, which would explain why he hadn't taken off just yet.

The explosion took her by surprise, tossing her a few meters away from the ship, tossing her to the ground and making her roll a few more. Her ears rang, her eyes hurt, and she felt bruised, and maybe like there were a few things broken. She could feel unconsciousness come over her, and she welcomed it.

When she felt someone pick her up, she groaned and opened her eyes. The face she saw was not one she was expecting. "Hello, Tek." She said with as much of a grin as she could muster.

"Ma'am." He said, a slight grin to his lips. Before Rose fell back in unconsciousness, she noticed the Marshall badge pinned on Tek's scarf.

* * *

 

"How quick is she going to recover?" Rory asked as Rose sat on a cot in the Marshall's office, the Doctor scanning her with the screwdriver.

"A couple days" The Doctor replied. "We'll have to stay in the vortex, or go somewhere very remote and quiet until her ribs heal."

"Least the ringing stopped." Rose said as the Doctor finished scanning her. "Head doesn't hurt much."

"You came close to the alternative." The Doctor mumbled.

He didn't ask when Tek first brought her back what transpired with Jex before he blew himself up, but she showed him the conversation when he went to bring the TARDIS closer. He'd only just got back when he felt it imperative to do a scan on her before leaving Mercy.

Rose had ignored his assessment. She was there, after all, and in a small way she almost wished she had died so she'd have at least been healed by now. In pain, but healed.

"So Tek," Rose said as she stood, straightening her jacket. "Want us to come back once in a while, make sure you're alright?"

"Your kindness is appreciated." He said with a nod. "I shall be alright."

She smiled, nodded, then got on her toes and gave him a kiss in the cheek that was still mostly flesh. "Might just anyway." She said around a groan of pain.

"Alright, you," The Doctor said affectionately. "Let's get you home so you can rest." He nodded to Tek before guiding her outside.

"Best we wash that paint off ya, too." Amy said to Rory behind them, and Rose turned to see her trying to smudge it off with her thumb. "Doesn't suit ya."

"No, not really my thing." Rory admitted.

He walked past where Rose waited by the TARDIS doors, ignoring the Doctor faking a quick draw with Samuel to head for the shade and the option of getting the paint off.

Amy stopped outside he doors, meeting Rose's eye. "Definitely not." She said with a nod.

"You're sure?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Amy nodded again. "At least, if I were I'm not now, so." She looked to her feet. "Maybe it's a good thing we'll be spending some time just, you know, relaxin'?"

"If you want to talk." Rose said, putting a hand on Amy's arm.

"Thanks." She said. "Better go help Rory get the, uh," Amy pointed to inside the TARDIS.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, smiling until Amy was out of sight.

She heard the TARDIS's lament, understanding that the Old Girl knew there was something wrong as well.

"What more do you know of Amy?" The Doctor asked.

"She thought she was pregnant." Rose admitted, looking up and seeing the same concern she had reflected in her husband's eyes.

"And now?"

"Now she says she's not." Rose replied.

"We'll have the TARDIS run a scan, see what comes back." He said as they stepped inside. He looked around the console room, peeked down the hall, then took Rose gently by the shoulders. "We know something's wrong, and we will figure it out. Whatever Amy is going through, we'll fix."

"Know we will," Rose said. "Never doubted."

"Good." The Doctor said, kissing Rose on the forehead. "Been a bit since we've been to Solodarias 4. Heat will do your aches good, don't think Amy will mind the sun shine too much."

"Sounds lovely." Rose agreed as she followed her husband up the ramp and took her place at the controls, working with him to send them in to the Vortex.


	21. The Sister Wife pt 1

"So there we are, old hospital, surrounded by gas mask Zombies, nowhere to go, no way to escape, so I yell 'go to your room.'" The Doctor said animatedly, doing a really impressive impression of his Northern voice. He was moving around the medbay, circling the table Rose sat on while Rory examined her broken ribs.

He asked, because he'd had so little to do in the way of his medical education and didn't want to lose any of it. So the nurse played doctor of sorts, checking on the last of Rose's injuries to ensure they were healed.

So while he checked on Rose, her husband was telling stories of their older, pre-married adventures on Amy's request while she waited in the doorway.

"Go to your room?" Amy asked.

"Yes. You see, the leader of the gas mask zombies was a five year old boy looking for his mummy. So I just put on my best Dad voice, told him how crossed I was, and sent him to his room." He finished with a proud smile.

"Is that really what happened?" Rory asked Rose conspiratorially.

"Yeah," Rose replied. "'Cept then we went to his room. Then the Doctor replaced Jack's gun with a banana. Really just to mess with him."

"I thought he was taking you away from me, had to make myself look impressive." The Doctor said with a bit of pride, straightening his bow tie.

"And you did that with a banana?" Amy asked with a twitch of her eyebrow and a coy grin.

The Doctor looked ready to say something then considered what Amy was implying. His ears and cheeks turned red. "Wasn't exactly what I was meaning with it."

"Says the man who then used the word 'dance' in place of something a bit more blunt." Rose countered, grinning with her tongue between her teeth.

"And then we did dance." The Doctor said dreamily. "Actually dancing, not _dancing_ -dancing. All around the console. _In the Mood_ , first song I could properly get my feet to move to. Easy after that."

"So this was pre-married you?" Amy asked. "So did all that dancing lead to something a bit more? Like _dancing_ perhaps?"

"No," The Doctor said, shaking his head. "Came close, though, at that last song. If it hadn't been for Jack…."

"How's my ribs looking?" Rose changed the subject, turning to Rory.

"Healed." He said. "Vitals are fine, I didn't even see any residual bruising. Three days and you're alright."

"Thought as much," Rose said, hopping off the exam table. "So, where should we go, then?"

"I'm not sure," The Doctor said as the four of them exited the medbay, the door being moved close enough to the console room that it was practically just off of it. The Doctor moved to the console, did a bit of a spin as he looked at the coordinate panel. "We could go to Barcelona. The planet, not the city. Dogs with no noses. And no, Sweetheart, before you even start we are _not_ getting a dog."

Rose struggled not to smile as she went to her spot at the console.

Before she and the Doctor could start inputting the coordinates, the TARDIS gave a surprised hum, and then there was a knock on the door.

Everyone in the room looked at one another in confusion, more so when the knock sounded again.

"Umm," Rose said, looking at the monitor, seeing the empty space outside. "Sure we didn't somehow pick up Jack?"

"No, nowhere near Jack. Would know if we were." The Doctor said as he went to the door.

"We are in deep space." Rory said as he gestured to the monitor.

"Very, very deep." The Doctor agreed. He opened the door just a tiny bit, and Rose was hit with a spike of surprise and excitement. "Oh come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty."

"Never hear him talk about you like that." Amy said thoughtfully as she plopped down in a jumpseat.

"Probably for the best." Rose shrugged, hearing the TARDIS hum a bit of a chuckle. "So what was …?" Rose never finished her question before a little box zoomed into the room, around her head, and then back to the Doctor as he closed the door. He caught it, miraculously, and smiled down at it.

"Mail. We've got mail, Sweetheart." He said as he moved to the console. "Time Lord emergency messaging system. In an emergency, we'd wrap up thoughts in a psychic container and send it through time and space."

"So … it might be an old message, yeah?" She said gently. "Just sorta got lost? Floated until a TARDIS came by? Been drifting for a bit, we've been."

"Possibly," He said as he focused on the box, closing his eyes. Rose could hear a strange voice in her mind, echoed as if hearing someone else's phone call. It was a male voice, deep, sort of posh. He was asking for help, but it was as if he wasn't sure how to describe what was happening. Something about TARDIS simply dying, and not being able to return to Gallifrey.

"Oh!" The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Oh, that is … oh, we need to get to him." The Doctor said, holding the cube in one hand while doing something on the monitor and typewriter with the other.

"Him?" Rose asked.

"Yes. Corsair. Know it's him by this mark, see?" He asked, showing it to Rose and their companions. "That snake is his mark, got it every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself without the tattoo." He grinned. "Or herself a couple of times."

"Oh?" Rose crossed her arms. "Sense a school boy crush I didn't know about."

"She was a rather bad girl." He smirked, then sobered. "But mostly a good friend." Rose merely shook her head and went to help fly their ship when he stopped her. "Actually, best I do this myself?"

"That so?" Rose asked, straightening up to her full height and crossing her arms. "Don't want your good friend to find out your human bond mate can fly the TARDIS?"

"Yes. No. No!" He insisted. "It's that Corsair isn't in this universe, but outside it. In a … pocket universe."

"Thought we couldn't travel between universes?" She challenged.

"Well, we can, but …."

"So all these years we coulda gone an' seen my Mum? Pete? Tony? Coulda seen my lil' brother grow up, meet his kids. Let Mum and Pete get to know Jenny more?"

"Umm." The Doctor replied.

"I sense someone will be sleeping in the library tonight." Rory mock whispered to Amy who giggled.

"Don't need to sleep." The Doctor said to him before looking to Rose. "Pocket, not parallel. We aren't going to find duplicate Amys or Rorys there, it's a Universe just outside this one. Nothing's the same. Rose, believe me, if I thought there was a way for you to see your mother and brother again I wouldn't have hesitated."

He held her eye, and she could hear faint whispers of his begging her understanding in her mind. She nodded, and Rose was flooded with relief.

"Now," He said, setting the cube down and throwing the dematerialization switch. "Got to get rid of a few rooms. Not overly attached to the scullery, I hope? Or the swimming pool. Or the squash court."

"Bit fond of the scullery, actually." Rose countered.

"Ah, we'll get it back when we get back. Just burning up rooms to give us some extra welly!" He said before flicked a few more switches.

The TARDIS hummed about in surprise as the console sparked, the whole ship shaking and rocking about. Amy clung to the jumpseat, Rory falling against the rail next to her. Rose grabbed on to the edge of the console and held on like she hadn't in years. All the while the Doctor's hope flared, his excitement nearly enough to drown out her worry. He watched the time rotor bob with the glee of a child, and all the while not seeming to pick up on their ship's discomfort.

When they landed, it was with a jolt reminding Rose of those early years she and the Doctor talked about earlier. She barely kept upright as the two men fell to the floor and Amy nearly off the jumpseat.

"Okay, where are we?" Amy asked, fixing her hair before standing up.

"Outside the universe, where we've never, ever been before." The Doctor said as she pulled himself up, eyes wide and grin stretching.

It lasted only seconds, then the TARDIS started powering down. More than that, though, Rose felt her presence leave her mind. There was shock, and then nothing as all the systems completely went off line, and the only other living soul touching hers was the Doctor.

"Is that meant to be happening?" Rory asked as Rose and the Doctor exchanged worried glances.

"No, 's not." Rose replied. "Only other time 's ever happened before was the one and only time we wound up in a parallel world, and that was by accident." She explained as the Doctor darted around the console in a panic. "He got it back up, then, but took some time."

"It's not possible." The Doctor exclaimed, and they all looked to him as he stood flabbergasted, staring at the darkened router. "It's as if the matrix, the soul of the TARDIS just vanished." He looked to Rose then. "Can you …?" She shook her head. "Where would it go?"

"Sorry, the soul?" Amy asked as she crossed the room to where the Doctor was.

"Yes, living thing, remember? Sentient. When Rose went all …."

"Bad Wolf?" Amy supplied.

"Yes, when she went all … wolfy, it was her and the TARDIS as one. She took in the heart. What kept the TARDIS functioning was its soul."

"Shouldn't that be the other way around?" Rory asked.

The Doctor looked at him with that same "stupid ape" expression he used to have all that time ago. "Sentient time ship, Rory. There are creatures in the universe with no hearts, no brains, that are nothing more then moving goo, and you're want to assume the logistics of how a ship would live? Yes, Rose took in the heart, the soul is what keeps it living." He then turned and headed down the ramp.

"Testy much?" Rory commented as he, Rose, and Amy when to join the Doctor outside.

"Forgive him. He thinks he may have found another Time Lord and then our ship breaks down quite similar to how it did all that time ago. He may not be himself for the next bit." Rose apologized on her husband's behalf as they stepped out of the ship.

Her nose wrinkled immediately at the smell.

"So what kind of trouble's your friend in?" Amy asked, her nose curling at the smell as well. She placed a hand lightly on her stomach, mid-point, and gave it the tiniest bit of a rub.

"He was in a bind, a bit of a pickle, sort of distressed." The Doctor rambled.

Amy turned to Rose. "Doesn't know, does he?"

"Likely not. Message was a bit cryptic." Rose replied.

"Where are we?" Rory asked as he looked around. "The scrap yard at the end of the Universe?"

He wasn't wrong there, of course. They were surrounded by broken ships, some with parts that looked eerily familiar. She couldn't put her finger on why.

"Not the end of, outside of." The Doctor replied with a bit of announce.

"Right, so, like a parallel one, but … not." He nodded. "Okay, think I understand, maybe."

"Upside, this place is full of rift energy." The Doctor said, licking his finger and sticking in the air like he was testing the wind. "She'll probably refuel just by being here."

"Yes, but that won't help if we don't get the matrix back." Rose reminded him.

"No, you're right. You're positively right. But first we should set out to find out what sorta mess Corsair's in. Now, what do we think of this place, eh?" He asked, bending down and grabbing a handful of dirt. "Gravity's almost Earth-normal, air's breathable, but smells like…"

"Ood," Rose said at the same time Amy said "Arm pits."

"Both are accurate." The Doctor agreed with a nod.

"Thief! Wolf!" A pretty woman yelled as she ran around the corner. Her dress looked like it had seen better days, though the blue it once was likely was lovely. Her hair was partially pinned up, but it looked matted pretty badly. Yet she smiled the brightest smile Rose had seen on anyone in a long time as she came barreling toward her and the Doctor with great enthusiasm. "You're my thief and my wolf!"

"She's dangerous, guard yourselves." A deformed looking woman said as she and an equally deformed looking man hobbled behind the quick moving woman.

"Look at you!" The pretty one said as she looked over the Doctor before giving him a very thorough kiss. Rose didn't even have a chance to protest before the woman sprung a kiss on her as well. There was an oddly familiar taste there. One that she had known for hundreds of years, and it made her tense more than the surprise of the snog itself. "And you!" The woman said as she reverently petted Rose's hair. "You're so much different than what I thought you looked like. Less pink. Still, a sight. Goodbye! No, not goodbye. What's the other one?"

"Watch out!" The man said. "Careful, keep back from her!"

"She's harmless." Rose countered.

"She's mad. We do apologize for that." The man said as he yanked the woman away. He attempted to touch Rose, maybe pat her, but she flinched away before he could. "Welcome, strangers." He said, turning to the Doctor who was more focused on the woman deemed mad.

"Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?" He asked, creeping slightly closer to her.

"Me." She replied confidently. "You're going to steal me. No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me? Tenses are difficult, aren't they?" She asked Rose.

"Can be, yeah." Rose offered her a gentle smile.

"Oh we are sorry, my dove. She's off her head." The deformed woman said mostly to the Doctor. "They call me Auntie." She said as she shook the Doctor's hand. Whether she noted the way he brushed his hand against his trousers afterward or not, Rose didn't know.

"I'm Uncle. I'm everybody's uncle." He said as if it would warm them all to him. "Just keep back from this one, she bites." He said, throwing a thumb in the woman's direction.

"Do I? Excellent!" She exclaimed before darting to the Doctor.

"Ow! No!" He replied, pushing her off his neck just as Rose was about to gently remove her herself.

"Oh, biting's Excellent! It's like kissing, only there's a winner. Now I know why you do it so often when you do the messy thing with all the shouting and no clothes."

Rose stared at her, the completely innocent look in the woman's eyes making it that much worse.

" _Did she just …?"_ Rose reached out to her husband through their bond.

" _How did she know?"_ He retorted, and Rose spared a glance at his stunned expression.

"Sorry," Uncle said awkwardly. "She's a doolally."

"That was a lot more about them then I needed to know." Rose heard Rory say to Amy, and she blushed fiercely but couldn't manage to hide her face.

"I'm not a doolally. I'm …." The woman wrinkled her brow in thought. "I'm …. It's on the tip of my tongue." Her eyes went wide. "I've just had a new idea about kissing!" She said, turning to Rose and lunging for her.

"Oi! Only I get to do that." The Doctor said, pulling her away.

"Idris, no, no." Auntie said, scolding her like she was a young child.

"Oh, but you're angry now." Idris said as she looked at the Doctor with great affection while she was still partly in his arms.

He was confused, of course. Rose was certain they all were. But that wasn't what fascinated her.

There was another woman in her husband's arms, looking at him with a sort of love that would normally bring out the green eyed monster in Rose. Yet she felt absolutely nothing toward this woman except … well, affection. It was almost as if here was a part of Rose that felt Idris belonged exactly where she was: with the Doctor.

"Why am I angry?" He asked her.

"No, you're not. You will be angry," She replied. "The little boxes will make you angry."

"What little boxes?" The Doctor asked cautiously.

Idris turned to Rose, moving out of the Doctor's arms. "You'll know it when you smell it." She said. Idris then turned to Rory. "It means the smell of dust after rain."

"What does?" He asked.

"Petrichor."

"But I didn't ask." He countered.

"Not yet, but you will."

"No, Idris." Auntie said, jumping to them, taking Idris's hand and trying to guide her away. "I think you should have a rest."

"Yes, yes, good idea!" Idris eagerly agreed. "I'll just see if there's an off switch." And then she started to drop.

The Doctor ran and caught her, placing her in a nearby chair while Rory darted over to check on her as well.

"Is that it? She dead now, so sad." Uncle said with no emotion. Rose looked at him, at Auntie, saw no remorse at all in them.

"She's still breathing." Rory noted.

It's possible no one else caught the heavy, annoyed sigh Uncle gave before turning slightly to call behind him. "Nephew, take Idris somewhere she can't bite people." He instructed.

Around the corner came an Ood, which wouldn't have bothered Rose terribly if it weren't for the green, glowing eyes.

"Oh, hello!" The Doctor greeted warmly while Amy and Rory jumped back.

"Doctor, what is that?" Amy asked.

"It's alright," He reassured. "It's an Ood! Oods are good, love an Ood."

"I'm more mixed." Rose said to them, ignoring her husband indignant pout before he turned back to the Ood.

"Hello, Ood. Can you talk?" The Doctor asked as he approached the Ood. He looked at the translator ball, and Rose had only just realized it wasn't glowing. "Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I?" He asked, gesturing to the ball. The Ood nodded, and the Doctor opened it up. "Might just be on the wrong frequency."

"Nephew was broken when he came here. Why he was half dead." Auntie said, gesturing to the Ood while standing half hunched over. "House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

Rose ignored her for now, glancing down at Idris to make sure she seemed okay. Her breathing was gentle, but steady.

A loud, mess of voiced cracked through the silence, and Rose looked toward the Ood and her husband. The Doctor was suddenly flooding her with a tidal wave of hope, fear, excitement, nervousness, and shock as he backed away from the Ood.

"If you are receiving this message," One male voice came in clear. "Please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of Time Lords on Gallifrey. Help! I'm still alive …."

Rose's stomach lurched at the thought.

The Ood did something to his translator, and the voices, along with that very distinct one, was gone.

"What was that?" Rory asked. "Was that him?" He asked, pointing to the Ood.

"No, no, it's picking up something else." The Doctor replied, walking around in a state of shock. "But that's … not possible. That's …." He darted over to Auntie and Uncle. "Who else is here? Tell me. Show me!"

"Just what you see." Auntie gestured around them. "It's just the four of us, and the House." She looked to the Ood. "Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody?"

"I'll stay with her," Rose said immediately, focusing only on the bewildered expressions of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory.

"Rose … I think … I want you with me." The Doctor hesitated as the Ood came by and began to collect Idris.

"I will be." Rose said. " _Just think there's something more going on with Idris then bein' a bit loony._ " She added through the bond, reminding him that no matter the physical distance, so long as they were in the same time, same universe, they'd be connected.

The Doctor nodded, and Rose moved to follow the Ood.

"What's the House?" She heard the Doctor ask as she walked away.

"House is all around you, my sweets. You are standing on him."

It was the last bit of the conversation Rose heard before she followed the Ood into a cave where it looked like the whole thing could collapse in a moment. There was a cage, too fancy to have been a proper prison, likely a decorative grill from a ship in the scrap yard. The Ood placed Idris gently in it then locked the door. He nodded to Rose, then moved down the corridor and out of the cavern.

Rose said on the floor, watching Idris as she slept.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, leaning her head against the grill.

"I'm … I'm …." Idris said, her eyes still closed until they weren't. She bolted up. "Big word, sad word. Why is that word so sad? No! Will be sad."

"What word?" Rose asked.

Idris turned and looked at her with a growing smile. "You're always there. More loyal than he is, sometimes. But he is a thief, and you are my Wolf, so I suppose that's probably why. Do fish have fingers? Like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike. I wish I could dance, dancing looked fun. Are they chips, or crisps, or fries? What's poutine? Why isn't the funny one with us? Or the other one?"

Rose's grin grew with all of Idris rambling until she was giggling.

"You're all over the place, you are." She said affectionately.

"Time and Space. Oh! That sounds right. Time and Space. Time in Space? It's all about the dimensions being relative."

Idris eyed Rose expectantly.

"Time and Relative Dimension In Space." Rose said without thinking about it as she held Idris's eye.

"You were always a bit more clever than him." She said. "He _knows_ a lot, but not good at seeing what's right in front of him sometimes."

"You're not?" Rose asked.

"Oh, but I am. We shared a mind and … one of these silly, squishy containers." She said as she raised her arms and looked at them with a frown.

Rose smiled, tongue between her teeth. "Pleasure to meet you, TARDIS."

* * *

 

"I see. The asteroid is sentient." The Doctor said as he looked through the grate that the strange, patched together aliens had led him too.

Amy watched him observe the green glow the came from below, all the while unable to shake the feeling that something was off.

She supposed, though, that it didn't help that she felt awkward in her own skin. It was almost as if she had a weird disconnect with herself. She didn't want to say anything, not with the TARDIS shutting down, and the loony that Rose left the Doctor to tend to, but it was almost as if she was having an out of body experience. No, that wasn't even right, it was as if she left her brain in the other Universe and she was simply going through motions. She could still think, but it was just … odd.

"We walk on his back," Auntie said. "Breathe his air, eat his food."

"Smell its armpits." She said, trying not to shake her head, or do anything that might tip Rory and the Doctor off that something was wrong.

Not that they'd have noticed with the way that Auntie and Uncle stood straight, eyes vacant.

"And do my will." They said in unison with a disturbingly deep voice. "You are most welcome, travelers."

"What the bloody hell was that?" Amy asked, moving slightly behind Rory and grabbing on to his shoulders. "That the asteroid talking?"

"You," The Doctor replied as Auntie and Uncle didn't move. "So you're like a sea urchin?" The Doctor said as he moved away from the grate, stomping on the asteroid surface. "Hard outer surface. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside."

"That is correct, Time Lord."

"How is it so polite when the Doctor just called it an oogly thing?" Rory asked quietly, and Amy merely shrugged.

"So you've met Time Lords before?" The Doctor asked, and Amy could acknowledge that he was trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Many travelers have come through the rift," the Asteroid replied. "Like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break."

"Repair them?" Rory questioned, and Amy followed his eyes to where Auntie and Uncle stood. Their strange limps and awkward posture. "Oh, that's …."

"What is it?" Amy asked, not seeing what Rory did. Sure, they looked awkward, but they were alive.

"So there are Time Lords here then?" The Doctor asked, pointedly.

"Not anymore, but there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by." The Asteroid replied.

"Oh, where is Rose when you need her to talk some sense in to him." Rory mumbled.

"Why?" Amy asked, and Rory turned to her.

"Why?" He repeated quietly.

"Well, won't any more after us. Last full Time Lord. Last TARDIS." The Doctor confessed.

"House repairs people? No more Time Lords left? He's not seeing the obvious, he's trying to see what he wants." Rory continued to say quietly. "Rose would tell him to think, or something. I dunno, just think she's likely the only one who'd …." He paused as the Doctor came toward them. "We're not actually going to stay here, are we?" He asked.

"It seems like a friendly planet. Literally." The Doctor replied, he then turned back to Auntie and Uncle with a charming smile. "Mind if we poke around a bit?"

"You can look all you want." Auntie said, gesturing about as she hobbled over. "Go, look. House loves you." She reached up, patted Amy on the face, and Amy acknowledged Rory's eyes going wide.

As Auntie sauntered away, Rory returned to Amy's side and harshly whispered. "That was the same thing we say on the cube. Inner arm, she had a tattoo, I recognized the snake eating itself.

Amy honestly could remember seeing it.

"Come on then, gang. We're going to see the sights." The Doctor said, tilting his head.

"Doctor, are you sure we should? Sure we shouldn't get Rose, get back to the TARDIS, and figure out what's going on?" Rory asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Rose's fine. In fact, she feels happy, amused maybe. She's alright, as are we. So, come along, Ponds. Let's poke around House."

He headed off, and with a huff and a head shake, Rory followed. Amy moved, on instinct, completely unsure as to why they were poking around or even why she had to go with them.

* * *

 

"So as soon as the TARDIS is refueled, we go, yeah?" Rory asked the Doctor as they navigated the labyrinth on the asteroid leading back to where the TARDIS was. Rose's laughter mixed with that of the other woman, echoing off the stone walls to where they were. The Doctor moved away from where it was.

"No," He finally answered Rory's question. "There are Time Lords here. I heard them, and they need me."

"You told us about your people," Amy reminded the Doctor. "You told us what you did."

"Yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good. I can save them."

"Then tell them you destroyed the others?" Amy countered.

"I didn't, though. Not at the time. The Master was still out there, and now they are too. I have a daughter, they don't need to know she came after …. And I can explain. Tell them why I had to." The Doctor said as he finally stopped.

"You want to be forgiven." Amy realized, though Rory noted she didn't seem to have her usual empathy that came with anything involving her Raggedy Man.

"Don't we all?" The Doctor asked sheepishly. "It's one thing to have it from Rose, but it's not proper forgiveness, it's understanding. The Master got sucked back into the war, whether it was his intention or not. He … he forgave, as much as he could. But the Corsair? He was a good man. And maybe he's not the only familiar Time Lord here."

Amy nodded, but gave him no smile. "What do you need from me?" She asked.

The Doctor patted himself down. "My screwdriver. I left it in the TARDIS. On the console." He replied.

"I don't remember seeing it there." Rory countered, knowing full well that the Doctor was likely just getting rid of them.

"Well it blends in when you glance." The Doctor waved it off.

"I'll get it." Amy said, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out her mobile. She tossed it to the Doctor. "Call you from the TARDIS."

"Right," The Doctor said, and Amy turned and headed back toward the blue box. "Rory, look after her." He said, watching Amy with curiosity.

"Yeah." Rory nodded. He caught up to Amy pretty quickly, and they made it back to the TARDIS in seconds. "Hey," he caught her arm as she opened the time ship. "You alright? You don't seem to be yourself."

"Don't feel quite right." Amy admitted. "But it'll pass. Come on. Doctor without Rose likely shouldn't be left alone too long." They went inside, and headed right for the console.

Both he and Amy patted down the surface, the emergency lighting not giving them much to go on. He heard Amy picking up the receiver of the TARDIS phone, and punched buttons.

"We're here." She said after a moment. "Where about on the console?"

As he waited for Amy to get the information, Rory was quite certain he heard the door lock behind him.

"Did you do that?" Amy asked as she hung up.

"Been up here near you." He countered. "Why would the door just lock?"

"Dunno. Would Rose know?" Amy asked.

Rory reached into his pocket and got out his own mobile, finding Rose's number and calling it.

A cell on top of the console rang, shifting in small increments as it vibrated.

"Oh, that's not good." Rory commented as he hung up.

"Why? They have that bond thing. Don't need phones." Amy said with a shrug.

He gaped at her. "Amy, the Doctor is out there on a dead end search for a bunch of Time Lords that aren't likely alive. We just got locked in the TARDIS, and the only other person who might be able to help us we can't get a hold of." She didn't react. "Amy, we are in trouble."

"No we're not." She assured, then her eyes went wide. "On second thought …."

Rory frowned, turned, and felt his stomach flop. Green smoke eerily he same color as the glow coming from the grates in the Asteroid.

* * *

 

"Do you have a name?" Rose asked the TARDIS. Idris. The TARDIS in Idris's body.

It wasn't just tenses that were difficult anymore.

"Not really." She replied. "Old Girl works well."

"Bet it was in the instruction manual." Rose snorted, and the TARDIS let out a hearty laugh that seemed to surprise herself.

"Oh!" She said, delicately putting her hand on her mouth, eyes wide. "That was strange. I see you and my thief do that a lot, but I didn't know…." She furrowed her brow as she dropped her hand on her lap.

"Didn't know what?" Rose asked.

"How it would feel." The TARDIS replied, "It's like … joy. Pure joy tainted by a physical presence. Yet it makes it seem more real. I like that. I want to do it again." She said with an earnest smile.

"Suppose we could try and make ya laugh, though not sure how. Can't properly tell you any funny stories, you're there for it all. Like the time the Doctor go his hand stuck in the jam jar."

The TARDIS laughed more than the memory warranted. "He was getting that sticky substance all over my controls so I shrunk the jar."

"You did not?" Rose gapped.

"Oh yes." The TARDIS replied, a mischievous gleam in her eye. "I once hid the yellow long things that he always said were good for a week because he kept fiddling with the wires when they didn't need working. He did that a lot when the handsome wrong one came on board. He wasn't wrong then. He was wrong before that. No, after. You made him wrong."

"Jack," Rose said. Before she could dwell on that, she thought to ask, "Why didn't you help me? Back then, the first time I looked into your heart. Why didn't you help me get back to him like you did not long ago?"

"I may have a mind of my own, but I don't always have control." She said with a bit of aggravation to her nearly constant cheerful tone. "Emergency program one was made to lock my controls from even me should he use it. So I don't try and get my thief back myself."

Rose nodded. "That why you didn't … when I looked it your heart, coulda died. Coulda went the way of Blon Fel-Fotch, reversed to a baby, or something. You let me use the vortex to rewrite time."

The TARDIS smiled warmly. "Oh my dear Wolf, we were always meant to be one like that. Before you came along, I was the closest thing to a bond mate the Doctor would ever have. But after we lost our home, our families, we both needed someone else. He needed companionship. Proper companionship, not what he means by all the strays coming and going. And I," She looked sheepish. "I needed a sister. Someone whose heart and soul are as strong as mine, and belonged to the same man."

"And you chose me?"

"No my dear Wolf," The TARDIS laughed. "You were made for us."

A tidal wave of rage came over Rose, drowning out the warmth she was feeling for the woman with her for a moment before it was under control. She could picture little boxes clearly in her mind, little boxes that looked exactly like the one that had flown into the ship earlier.

"Something's wrong." Rose said, catching the brown eyes of the human TARDIS.

"Won't be long now." She said with a nod.

The two women waited in amicable silence. Rose reached out for her husband through their bond, but couldn't seem to get him to connect now that he was shut down.

The TARDIS closed her eyes, sitting lotus style, hands place on her knees as if she were meditating, and Rose was struck by how natural it seemed. As if this was merely the personification of her background hum when she wasn't actively involved with anything.

She heard the distinct sound of the Doctor's boots on the hard, rock ground and no one else's.

"How did you know about the boxes?" He asked as he stood directly behind Rose, his toes nudging her thigh.

"Ah, it's my thief." The TARDIS said without opening her eyes.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

That got her attention, and her displeasure at his lack of knowledge evident.

"Do you not know me? Just because they put me in here? Our Wolf knew, she figured it out. How can't you?"

"What are you on about? Why would Rose know who you are because they locked you up?"

"Not the cage, stupid." She said as she got to her feet. She approached the bars of her cage, and Rose got to her feet so they'd all be roughly eye level. The human TARDIS put her hands on her cheeks. "In here. They put me in here."

The Doctor merely stared at her, suspicion unwavering.

"She's the TARDIS." Rose finally said.


	22. The Sister Wife pt 2

The Doctor whipped around and looked at her. "What?

"She's our TARDIS." Rose repeated.

"Time and relative dimension in space." The TARDIS said with a nod, dropping her hands to her side.

"No," The Doctor said, looking between the two of them. "No, you're not. She's not! She's a bitey lady, you're a bitey lady. The TARDIS is up and downy stuff in a big blue box." He insisted, finger firmly pointed at the TARDIS while he continued his dizzy inducing back and forth.

"Yes, that's me. A type 40 TARDIS." She said giddily to the Doctor's bewilderment. "I was already a museum piece when you were young, and the first time you touched my console you said …."

"I said you were the most beautiful thing I had ever known." He said with disbelief mixed with the fondness of the distant memory.

"And did he follow that up with a 'considering you're a time ship?'" Rose teased.

The TARDIS laughed, likely because she liked it. "He stole me like he stole you. Like I stole him, and then you."

"I _borrowed_ you." The Doctor said to the TARDIS as if he thought anyone would believe him.

"Borrowing implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken." The TARDIS said as she lifted her chin. "What makes you think I would ever give either of you back? We were bonded. Are bonded. Became bonded." She said, eyeing the ceiling as if it had the proper answer.

The Doctor stared at her a few seconds before saying, "You're the TARDIS?"

"Yes." She said, meeting his gaze eagerly.

"Our TARDIS?"

"My Doctor. My Rose. Oh!" She said, eyes going wider. "We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock."

The Doctor removed his sonic and pointed it at the latch on the door, all while holding the human TARDIS's eye. The Door swung open slightly, and Rose pulled it open the rest of the way, shutting behind the TARDIS as she stepped out. As the TARDIS turned to the Doctor, her hand fell into Rose's.

"Are all people like this?" The TARDIS asked him.

"Like what?" He furrowed his brow.

"So much bigger on the inside?" She replied, looking to Rose. "I'm … oh, what is that word? It's so big, so complicated. It's so sad."

"I'm not sure." Rose shook her head.

"You're the same," She said thoughtfully. "The three of us, we're all … oh what is the word?" She said, frustration making her human form a bit adorable.

"Why?" The Doctor asked, shifting so they were all more or less in a circle. "Why pull the living soul from a TARDIS and pop it in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?" The Doctor asked.

"Oi, she's been in my head." Rose countered.

"I said 'tiny', Sweetheart. Nothing about you has ever been small." He said, and as Rose arched a brow and trying not to look too offended, his ears reddened. "Inside. Nothing, small, inside. Outside, outside has always been perfect, and lovely, and squishy. No, not squishy, lovely. I've said lovely, haven't I?"

"TARDIS, why does House want you in a human body?" Rose asked her when the Doctor clearly muddled himself.

"It doesn't want me," She said, leaning in and sniffing Rose.

"How do you know?" The Doctor asked as the TARDIS leaned in and sniffed his coat.

"House eats TARDISes." She said absently.

"House what? What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know, it's something I heard you say." She countered as she turned back to Rose. "Your hair is lovely. Gold, like the Vortex."

"When?" The Doctor said with frustration. "When have I said that?"

"In the future." The TARDIS said, looking to the ceiling thoughtfully.

"House eats TARDISes?" He questioned.

"There you go!" The TARDIS said, followed by a sharp intake of breath. She placed her finger on the Doctor's lips, and looked him in the eye. "What are fish fingers?" She said with utter seriousness.

"When do I say that?" He asked despite her finger on his lips.

"Any second." She said, withdrawing her hand from his personal space.

"Of course!" The Doctor smacked himself on the forehead. "House feeds on rift energy and TARDISes are bursting with it. And not raw, all lovely and cooked, processed food …. Mmm, fish fingers." The Doctor said with a smack of his lips.

"Do fish have fingers?" The TARDIS asked thoughtfully.

"But you can't eat a TARDIS, it would destroy you. Unless …."

"Unless you deleted the TARDIS matrix first." The TARDIS nodded.

"Alright, you two are giving me a headache trying to keep up." Rose said, gesturing for them to stop for a moment. "So House somehow has the technology to drain a TARDIS of its soul?"

"Same concept as draining a human of its life essence. Second a TARDIS lands on the surface, it pulls out the matrix."

"That would blow a hole in the Universe." The TARDIS nodded. "He pulls out the matrix and sticks it in a living receptacle and feeds off the remaining Artron energy." She turned to the Doctor. "You were about to say all that. I don't suppose you have to now."

The Doctor grinned slightly before it faded, dread coming over his face and through the bond. "Amy and Rory. I sent them in there. They'll be eaten." He said as he pulled what looked like Amy's phone out of his pocket and started dialing.

"Why would you send them away?" Rose asked, indignant for them.

"Because I thought there were Time Lords here and I didn't want them interfering if there were. I wanted to find them on my own, I wanted…." He stopped. "I wanted to believe. They wouldn't let me." He said. A moment later he shook off his melancholy and started running through the tunnels as he put the phone to his ear.

"Is this when we do that thing you two seem to like so much? The running thing, not the other." The TARDIS asked.

"Yeah, now's when we run." Rose said, giving the hand in hers a squeeze before she and the TARDIS took off after their Doctor.

They might have caught up, but the TARDIS started slowing, her breathing growing labored.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked as the TARDIS stopped her, pulling her back toward a hunk of junk that looked a bit like a really old television without a screen or inner components.

The TARDIS sat on it.

"I wasn't made for all this running about. It's why I stay parked while you and he do all the saving." She replied, waving a hand in the direction the Doctor took off in.

Rose crouched down, noting the light sheen of sweat on the TARDIS's brow. She lifted her free hand to it. "You're burning up." She said.

"From the inside." She said with a nod.

Rose pursed her lips. She knew what that meant, had felt it herself a couple of times. She was caught between raging and weeping, wanting to lash out on the stupid asteroid who took the closest being she'd ever had to a sister and sentencing her to die in a body she didn't belong, and sobbing in the human TARDIS's lap for what she may lose. She heard the shuffle that was Auntie and Uncle, wondered briefly where the Ood was, but said nothing. They were a part of this, she was sure. They knew what was happening and allowed House to do it anyway. So she did her best to ignore them, clutching to the TARDIS's hand as she caught her breath.

"It's gone." The Doctor's voice startled Rose, having not heard him approach them again.

"Eaten?" The TARDIS asked worriedly.

"No, it left." He countered, and Rose turned to look at him. He was properly terrified and more than a bit worried.

"Wasn't emergency program one, then?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Hi-jacked."

"By who?" Rose asked.

"Well," Auntie said, getting their attention as she said down. "It's time for us both to go, and keep together."

"Whoa, go where?" The Doctor asked, darting over to her and Uncle where they sat a few feet away.

"Well, we're dying, my love. It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off." She said like it was obvious.

"I'm against it." Uncle said with a shrug.

"Why?" Rose asked, letting go of the TARDIS's hand before she marched toward them. "Why's he letting you die now 'stead of putting you back together?"

"House is gone. Can't keep us going if he's not here, can he, sweets?" She looked to the Doctor. "Your fault. You told House it was the last TARDIS. House can't feed on 'em if there's none more coming, can he?"

"So now he's off to your universe to find more TARDISes," Uncle added with a nonchalant shrug.

"It won't." The Doctor said.

"Jenny." Rose reminded him. "She's got a coral. For all we know, she's got a full grown one by now."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but the thud of Auntie falling over stopped him.

"Actually, I feel fine." Uncle said, standing up only to fall over.

"No," Rose said, shaking her head. "No, this isn't good."

"We need to go where I landed, quickly." The TARDIS said behind them, and they turned to see her getting up.

"Why?" The Doctor asked as Rose and he moved to their fourth heart.

"Because we are there in three minutes," The TARDIS replied. "We need to go now!" She took off running then stopped short, clutching her side and bending over a bit. "Roughly how long do these bodies last?"

"Long enough to get you back to your proper one." Rose said with confidence as she came up to sooth the TARDIS's back.

"She's dying, you're dying." The Doctor said, his panic mounting.

"Yes, of course I am. I don't belong in a flesh body. I could blow the casing in no time." She retorted bitterly.

"Why don't I take you into me again?" Rose suggested.

The TARDIS shook her head. "Idris, the woman I'm in, had her mind and soul drained. It's how I was able to fit inside. I'm sorry, my little Wolf, it won't work like that."

"So we are stuck down what is essentially the plughole at the end of the universe on a stupid old junkyard?" The Doctor cursed, gripping his face as if it gave him some sort of tangible hold on the situation. It must have worked as his eyes lit up, and hope spike between he and Rose. "Oh."

"Oh, what?" Rose and the TARDIS said in unison.

"It's not a junkyard. It's a TARDIS junkyard." He said with mounting giddiness. "Come on, girls," He said, turning to head off then stopping short. "Sorry, probably the only time I'll get to ask. Do you have a name?"

The TARDIS looks to Rose with an eye roll. "First thing you asked me when you realized who I was. Takes him eight hundred years and a half hour to even realize I might have one."

"Well?" The Doctor asked.

"No. But I've heard you call me … Sexy." The TARDIS replied.

The Doctor's ears reddened as he visible swallowed and had a hard time meeting Rose's eye. "Only when we're alone." He said in a terrible attempt at whispering.

"That's a load of rubbish. Heard you call her that loads." Rose countered.

"Alright, fine." The Doctor said. "Come along, you sexy things you." He waved them along before darting off.

"Oi, not a thing." Rose yelled after him.

"It's practically impossible for him to see reason. Believe me, spent nearly a millennium trying to shock it into him." The TARDIS said with a sigh before taking Rose's hand and running with her after their Doctor.

* * *

 

If there was one positive Rory could latch on to, it was that the moment the TARDIS took off on its own, Amy was a bit more herself. Her panic became real, her eyes became alive.

"Corridors, I have corridors." The deep, menacing voice that Rory knew as House said as he seemed to become more away of his new container. "So much to learn about my new home. But you haven't answered my question, children."

"Er, question? Rory asked, unsure at all what was going on anymore. Why had being on that asteroid affect only Amy? And how did the thing living inside the asteroid manage to get control of the blue box and move them away from it?

"You remember," House insisted. "Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you both now?"

"Well," Amy said, a slight tremor to her voice. "Because … Rory, why?" She asked, turned to him, lost and confused and more than a bit scared.

"Because … killing us quickly wouldn't be any fun." Rory realized, making sure he could emphasis the point as much as he could with his voice. "And you need fun, don't you? That's what Uncle and Auntie were for, wasn't it?" Someone to make suffer. Had a PE teacher just like you. You need to be entertained, and killing us quickly wouldn't be entertainment."

"So entertain me." House said. "Run."

A tighter grip on Amy's hand, Rory turned them around and started running down the corridors with his wife.

He hoped the Doctor would figure this all out, and soon. Because it felt like he had lost Amy and was just getting her back.

Rory didn't want to lose her again.

* * *

 

"A valley of half-eaten TARDISES." The Doctor said as he looked down at what Rose now considered a grave yard. It was just old, abandon ship wrecks before. Now she could see it for what it was, what they were, and her heart broke for the woman beside her. "Are you two thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor asked, over cheerful.

"I'm thinking that all my sisters are dead. That they were devoured, and we are looking at their corpses."

His smile dropped. "Ah, sorry. No, I wasn't thinking that." He admitted.

"No, you were thinking you could build a working TARDIS console out of broken remnants of a hundred different models. And you don't care that it's impossible." The TARDIS retorted.

"Is it impossible?" Rose asked, looking between the two.

"Not impossible. Complicated. Bit dangerous. But Rory and Amy need us. So, regardless of the impossible, the complicated, the dangerous, we are going to do it. Three heads are better than one, so let's go." He said, mustering up a bit more enthusiasm before darting down the mound of scrap they were all standing on. Rose cringed as she watched him go, worried the whole time he'd fall. She let out the breath she was holding when he made it down to the bottom, and then helped guide the human TARDIS down as well.

They all worked to build the console. Rose, having no idea what she was looking for, would show the Doctor what she was seeing through their bond. He would highlight what was useful or needed, and she would collect the parts and bring them out to him. Between the three of them, it felt like their progress was going well.

"Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon Diverter." The TARDIS told the Doctor as Rose dragged a wall panel toward them by a rope. The TARDIS tapped something near where the Doctor was working on what looked like a mostly assembled control panel.

"Yes, yes. I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know. I know what I'm doing." He insisted as he finished what he was doing, then came over to give Rose a hand.

"You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom." The TARDIS countered with exasperation, earning a snort from Rose. " _And_ you never read the instructions." The TARDIS added on.

"I always read the instructions," The Doctor insisted.

"No you don't." Rose shook her head.

"Oi, whose side are you on, Rose Tyler. I do so follow instructions, and you know it." He said as they got the wall over to their console base.

The TARDIS put her hands on her hips. "There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for eight hundred years. What does it say?" She asked.

The Doctor hesitated. "Those are not instructions."

"There's an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?" The TARDIS insisted.

"Pull to open." The Doctor grumbled.

"Yes, and what do you do?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes. "I push." He admitted.

"Every single time. Eight hundred years. Police Box doors open out of the way." She said.

"I push them." Rose reminded.

"Yes, but he taught you." The TARDIS countered.

"And I think I've earned the right to open my front doors any way I want." The Doctor yelled, as he hoisted the wall up and held it in place as Rose withdrew the sonic from his pocket and found the setting to fasten the panel to the edge of their console base.

"Your front doors? Do you have any idea how childish that sounds?" The TARDIS asked as she abandoned what she was doing to stomp over to the two of them.

"You are not my mother." The Doctor whined.

"And you are not my child." The TARDIS countered.

"Sound like an old married couple to me." Rose finished. She stood up and untied the rope wrapped around the wall panel.

"No, _we_ do." The Doctor said.

"We do, you and she does, sure given enough time with her like this we'd be right there, too. You said yourself, three way commitment this." Rose said as she moved back toward the other wall panel they'd managed to collect and began tying the rope around it.

"She's right, of course. Our Wolf usually is about these sorts of things." The TARDIS sided with Rose.

"Right yes, of course. And since we are talking with mouths here, I just want to say that you have not been very reliable."

"And you have?" The TARDIS countered.

"You didn't always take me, or us, where we wanted to go." He said.

"No, but I always took you where you needed to go." The TARDIS said much more calmly.

Rose turned away from her task to look over her shoulder at the pair. The Doctor smiled slowly, and the TARDIS was already beaming.

"You did." The Doctor relented. "Look at us. Talking. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk? Even when you're inside the box?"

"You know I'm not constructed that way." She said with an eye roll. "I exist across all space and time, and you talk and run around, and bring home strays." She fell, and the Doctor caught her.

Rose abandoned the rope all together to see how she could help.

"You alright?" She asked, touching the TARDIS's cheek and feeling the fever rising.

"One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn't matter, we need to finish assembling the console."

"Using the console without a proper shell will be dangerous." The Doctor said to her.

"This body has eighteen minutes to live. The Universe we're in will reach Absolute Zero in three hours. Safe is relative." The TARDIS countered.

"Alright, let's get going." Rose said. "Got the other wall ready. Can get most of them up before we need to rush it, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded, and the two worked double time as the TARDIS seemed to be out of commission, sitting on nearby piece of junk.

They assembled most of the walls and a roof before the Doctor abandoned that heavy lifting to get a central column. Rose found something to make a half wall, one they could hop over and get inside. A little extra protection at least. Once the time router was installed, and everything seemed ready to go, the TARDIS came over and inspected it.

"Will work much better than when you built it yourself." She commented, allowing the Doctor to lift her over the half wall first.

"When did I do that?" He asked as he set her down and then moved to help Rose.

"You didn't. But you would have still." The TARDIS replied. "This is always meant to happen, was always meant. Either way, regardless of how your life would have turned out, you were always meant to do this. I see that now. That's amazing. And sad. Do you wonder why I chose you all those years ago?" She asked the Doctor as he set Rose down on her feet.

"I chose you, you were unlocked," He replied as he hopped over the wall, caught his foot on the edge, and gracefully rolled into the console.

"Of course I was. I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away." She countered.

"Really are the same, aren't we?" Rose said, giving the TARDIS's hip a little bump.

The Doctor looked between the two women. "Maybe it's best we don't talk with mouths all the time. Would be like having two wives."

The TARDIS turned to Rose and winked.

"Okay," The Doctor dragged out the word. He clapped his hands together and moved to the console, Rose following to roughly where she'd normally be herself. "Let's go. Follow that TARDIS!" He said with great enthusiasm before throwing the switch.

Nothing happened except for a few sparks.

He tried again, but had the same results.

"What are we forgetting?" Rose asked.

"Nothing, we aren't missing anything, it's just not holding the charge. We've got nothing." He said with frustration, pulling at his hair.

"Oh our beautiful idiot." The TARDIS said with affection. "You have what you've always had. You've got me." She kissed her finger tips, her eyes glowing gold as some of her essence was released. She placed her hands on the router, and the console dematerialized with a violent jolt.

* * *

 

She knew House was messing with her head, even if she felt as though she'd only just gotten it back. She knew that the Rory who leaned against the wall with gray hair and along beard likely wasn't the real one. Logically. But logic wasn't working for her right now.

"How long have you been here?" She dared to ask him.

"I don't know." He said. "I stopped counting after the fifth decade. You left me, you always leave me. I can't trust that you'll ever stay, can I?" He growled, banging his head against the wall behind him.

"I didn't mean to." Amy insisted. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."

He got up and stormed toward her, and Amy moved backward. "They come for me at night," He said. "Every single night, they come for me, and they hurt me. Like you do. Over and over."

"Rory," She whimpered, clutching her stomach.

"How could you leave me? How could you do that to me" He demanded.

She didn't answer. Before she could, Amy fell through a door and into another corridor. This one line with slurs, all about her. Appearing as those written in blood, words like "hate", "kill", and "die" were all followed by her name. And those terrifying words led her down the hall, around a corner, and to a skeleton dressed in her husband's clothes.

As she fell to her knees by the corpse, she knew it wasn't real. Logically, there wasn't any way her husband could already be dead. Time was different on the TARDIS, but there was no way it could run faster for one of its inhabitants than another.

"Amy?" Rory's voice pulled her from the illusion, making her turn to see him behind her. She got to her feet, ran to him, held him, felt his firm body in her grasp and reveled in it's warmth. He took her face in both hands, forced her to look at him. "It's messing with out heads." He reminded her. "Come on, run."

And with his hand in hers again, they ran.

* * *

 

"We've locked on to them," The TARDIS shouted as the winds rushed past and the sound of the engines nearly blocked out any other noise. "They'll have to lower the shields when I'm close enough to phase inside."

"Can you get a message to Amy?" He asked. "The telepathic circuits are online."

"Which one's Amy? The pretty one?" The TARDIS asked, and the Doctor nodded. She shifted her palms, and Rose watched as mental signature came up. The hologram looked like a blue call of energy, though there were lines around it like bits of string.

"What's wrong?" The echoed voice of Amy came through, and the Doctor darted over beside the TARDIS, about to say something.

"It's like …," Rory's voice came through much louder. "I'm getting a message?"

"Hello, pretty!" The TARDIS greeted.

"What the hell is that?" Rory's voice asked, and Rose watched as the signature danced and vibrated with each word.

"Telepathic messaging, don't worry. And that's Rory."

"Who's sorta pretty," Rose said, earning a pout from the Doctor. "You said the pretty one, she's gonna assume you mean the man who has the same nose you once had, yeah?" She reminded him. The Doctor straightened his bow tie and moved away from the TARDIS as she continued to her communication with Rory.

"You have to go to the old control room. I'm putting the route in your head," She explained, projecting her voice to be heard through the noise though didn't shout. "When you get there, use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields. You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading Matrix. I'll send you the passkey when you get there. Good luck." She ended the communication for the time being.

"How's he going to be able to take down the shields anyway? There aren't any old control rooms, they were all deleted or remodeled." The Doctor asked.

"I archive them for neatness." The TARDIS replied. "I've got about thirty now."

"But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?" He countered.

"So far, yes."

"Blimey, how often does he change the bloody console?" Rose asked.

"He'll go through a phase." The TARDIS said as if it was an endearing yet annoy future trait.

"Just keep this up." The Doctor said. "We'll worry about my future remodeling tendencies later."

"They're there!" The TARDIS announced.

"That was quick." The Doctor replied.

"Time is relative." She countered before bringing up Rory's mental signature again. "Crimson, eleven, delight, petrichor." She said, shutting off the message and gripping the console with both hands, eyes closed.

"You alright, Old Girl?" Rose asked.

The TARDIS nodded, seeming to focus. Whether on keeping herself alive, or trying to sense her proper body, Rose wasn't sure and she didn't dare ask.

After a few beats, she opened her eyes and worked to establish another connection to Rory. "They did it, shields are down." She informed them before Rory's mental signature popped back up. "We're coming through. Get out of the way, or you'll be atomized." She warned him.

"Where are you coming through?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied honestly, disconnecting him once more. "Alright, let's get inside. The shields won't hold."

The Doctor nodded, and he and Rose worked in tandem to phase inside the proper box. The grinding of the engines wasn't the familiar one Rose knew, but it was enough to allow her to breathe easier when the old, coral grunge console began to appear around them.

Amy and Rory were both pressed to the far side of the old console room, and when they full materialized, they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before rushing over to them. Amy embraced the Doctor, Rory doing the same with Rose over the half wall.

"Not good," The TARDIS said, getting their attention. She stumbled, and the Doctor ran over and scooped her up. "Not good at all. How do you walk in these things?" She asked.

"We're not quite there yet, just hold on." He said, carrying her over to the half wall and handing her to Rory. Once the TARDIS was secure in Rory's hold, the Doctor climbed over and took her again.

Rose pulled herself over the half wall, moving to the TARDIS and touching her head. She pulled her hand back.

"We're helping the bitey lady?" Amy asked, more confused than anything.

"She's the TARDIS," Rose told her.

"She's the TARDIS?" Amy repeated incredulously.

Rose nodded, wanting to explain more, when she felt a presence around them.

"The environment has been breached. Nephew, kill them all." A deep voice Rose hadn't heard before filled the room.

"Who's that?" She said, looking around.

"It's house. The, umm, asteroid." Rory explained. "But where's Nephew?"

"He was standing right where the materialized." Amy pointed to the thrown together console.

"Ah," The Doctor said. "Well, he must have been redistributed.

"Meaning?" Rory asked.

The Doctor winched. "You're breathing him." He sighed as the rest of them grimaced. "Another Ood I failed to save."

"Doctor, I did not expect you." House, as Rory called him, noted with a touch of surprise.

"Well, that's me all over, isn't it? Lovely old, unexpected me."

"The big question is, now you're that you're here, how to dispose of you. I could play with gravity…." He suggested, and suddenly Rose and the rest of the room was on the floor. She tried to get up, but it felt as if she were pushing back against a hundred tons of pressure. Until suddenly, it wasn't like that, and everyone got up except for the TARDIS. Rose reached out a hand, feeling the moisture on the human TARDIS's skin. Rory joined her at the TARDIS's side, trying to help soothe her as best he could.

"Or," House said, "I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke."

The air was gone. It was a sensation Rose was too familiar with, struggling for a lungful when there was nothing to get. It was the worst way to die, the most painful, and her heart began to pound at the prospect.

"You really don't want to do that," The Doctor, his respiratory bypass quite obviously in used, hissed at House.

Just as spots started to appear before Rose's eyes, she finally inhaled that wonderful gulp of air she was fighting for.

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" House asked.

"Because then I won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines…." The Doctor continued to argue with the presence around them, but Rose tuned him out to focus on the TARDIS.

"The only water in the forest is the river." She mumbled.

"It's okay, Sweetheart." She soothed, stroking the TARDIS's hair.

"The only … water. Water."

"Doctor, she's burning up. She's asking for water." Rory said over his shoulder.

A moment later the Doctor appeared beside Rose, stroking the TARDIS's face. "Hey, hang in there, Old Girl. Not long now. It'll be over soon." He promised, kissing her brow before getting up and moving away from them.

"I always like it when you call me … Old Girl." She said.

"We'll remember that, promise." Rose swore. "Call you that all the time, we will."

"Already do." She said with a gentle smile, eyes falling shut.

There was a bright flash, and Rose had to blink to get her eyes to readjust.

She also really wished she'd been paying attention. They were back in the proper console room, though she wasn't entirely sure how. It was dark except for a lime green glow that reminded her a bit too much of villains in Disney films.

"Yes, you can delete the room, and kill us that way, but it won't work." The Doctor said to the dark room. "Hardwired fail-safe. Living things from the rooms that are deleted automatically deposited in the main control room. But thanks for the lift."

"We are in your universe now, Doctor. Why should it matter to me in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me, I've killed hundreds of Time Lords." House said.

"Fear _me_ , I've killed them all." The Doctor countered.

"The only water in the forest is the river." The TARDIS repeated softly, her voice failing. "Remember that, both of you. You'll need to know."

"Yeah, you're right, you've completely won." The Doctor said as the TARDIS tried to speak. "You've completely won. Oh, you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways. But before you do kill us, allow me and my wife, and our friends to congratulate you properly."

" _What are you doing? She's dying!"_ Rose hissed at him through their bond as he moved to pull Amy to her feet.

" _Trust me."_ He encouraged.

So Rose stood with her husband, applauded. "Bravo." She said as Amy cheerfully cried, "Congratulations."

"Yep, you defeated me, and my wife, and our lovely friends here at last." The Doctor said as if he was humbled. "But definitely not least the TARDIS Matrix herself, a living consciousness you ripped out of this very control room and locked up in a human body, and look at her." He gestured to the still body of the TARDIS.

"Doctor, she's not breathing." Rory worried.

"Enough!" House demanded as Amy went to where the TARDIS's human form lay.

"No, it's never enough." The Doctor yelled. "You forced the TARDIS into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from his control room. A flesh body can't hold the TARDIS Matrix and live. Look at her body, House." He instructed, gesturing to her.

"And you think I should mourn her?" House asked.

There was a tickle in Rose's mind, and she was only able to stop he gasp with a sharp intake of breath as that one presence missing was suddenly back at the edge of her consciousness.

"No," The Doctor shook his head. "I think you should be very, very careful about what you lit back in to this control room." He said as a golden glow grew behind Rose. A rail of energy circled her, circled him, and then made its way through the console room. It touched nearly every point of the console, entered every nook and cranny, washing away that villainous green glow. "You took her from her home," The Doctor said. "But now she's back in the box. And she's free."

"No!" House protested. "Doctor, stop this. Stop this now." He continued to demand, pain in his voice.

"Oh I hardly think you have the right to make demands." Rose said to the ceiling where a little green light lingered. "You caused her pain, you tried to destroy her. You murdered countless of her sisters, and destroyed the last of her family. You do not have the right to beg for mercy." She sneered.

"Make it stop!" House demanded, his agony clear.

"Finish him off, girl." The Doctor said, pride for the TARDIS and disgust for House sounding much like the Oncoming Storm.

House groaned in pain, trying to get in the last words before the last bit of green was replaced by a delicate gold glow. The room was silent then, and Rose could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Doctor, Rose, are you there?" The TARDIS's human voice asked, and the two turned to see a hologram of her hovering where the body had been before disappearing. "It's so very dark in here."

"We're here." The Doctor said as he and Rose approached her.

"I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I've found it now."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked, putting his arm around Rose and pulling her head to his shoulder.

"Alive." The TARDIS said. "I'm alive!"

"'S not so sad." Rose said, eyes tearing up as she realized this would be the last time they'd likely talk like this.

"It's sad when it's over." The TARDIS replied. "But this is when we talked, and now even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to either of you."

"Goodbye?" The Doctor choked out.

"No, I just wanted to say hello. Hello, Doctor. Hello, Rose. It's so very, very nice to meet you both."

"We love you." Rose managed to say. "Know that, yeah?"

The TARDIS smiled a sad smile. "I love you both." She said just as she faded away.

The Doctor pulled Rose more firmly to him as the console room lit up with her normal splendor.

* * *

 

Rory came out into the console room just after Rose had returned herself with a mug in each hand. She sat them on the jumpseat, turning to Rory with a smile. "How's Amy?"

"Good." He said. "She's quite knackered. Know she wasn't quite herself today but she can't really explain why. Figure, maybe, she's just tired, is all." He said as the Doctor came up stairs.

Rose pursed her lips and nodded, not wanting to mention the discussion she and Amy had back in Mercy just yet.

"You two find your bedroom okay?" The Doctor asked as he wiped his hands on a yellow rag. "TARDIS likely rebuilt all the rooms shortly after she was back in control."

"Yeah," Rory said with a nod. "Everything back the way it was, just a couple small things out of place." He sighed, going to the rail and running his hand over it. "Something the TARDIS said, though. She said, 'the only water in the forest in the river.' Said we'd have to remember that. It doesn't make sense, does it?"

The Doctor frowned, then grinned. "Not yet."

Rory nodded.

"You alright?" Rose asked, noticing he was a bit more distant than normal.

"No," He admitted. "I watched her die. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does. I feel like I could have done more to save her, to stabilize her."

"Nothing you could have done to save her." The Doctor said, moving to put a hand on Rory's shoulder. "But letting it get to you? That's called being alive. Best thing there is."

"Right." Rory nodded. There was a gentle hum of reassurance and warmth, the lights dimming a touch. "What was that?" He asked.

"The TARDIS trying to reassure you." Rose said, turning and picking up both mugs from the jumpseat before slowly sitting down. "She knows you care, Rory. She appreciated it."

Rory gave a bit of a grin to that. "Well, I'm going to go back tend to Amy, make sure she's alright. Goodnight." He said with a wave as he turned away.

"No nights on the TARDIS, Rory." The Doctor countered as he sat down beside Rose, taking his mug from her. If Rory had anything to say to that, neither of them heard.

After Rory's footsteps had faded, Rose took a sip of tea and stared at the light brown liquid. "Did the TARDIS manage to finish her scan of Amy before this whole mess with House happened?"

"Yes," The Doctor said, staring off into the distance. "Inconclusive. Pregnant, but not. I think I know what it means, but I need to research a bit more." He said, turning to her with an apologetic grin. "Not going to be spending much time in bed with you."

Rose shrugged. "Never wanted to share you with anyone. But the one woman I do have to, love her nearly as much as I love you." She said, feeling the nudge of affection from the TARDIS. "Pair of you can spend some quiet time together figuring this out."

"I'll stay with you until fall asleep." He promised, kissing her on the top of her head.

Rose hummed happily. So did the TARDIS, and the three remained quiet, merely enjoying each other's presence until they had to return to the hectic ways of their daily lives.

* * *

 


	23. Lost Stars pt 1

He watched the news in the darkened living room, the only major source of light coming from the projection on the wall above the mantel. It wasn't like the projections of his time, or the time he was born in anyway. Where those were thin, often baring evidence of the wall surface and being fun to watch only in school, this was like having a crystal clear television set. The volume was controlled from the little projector box as well, a tiny speaker casting the sound as if the room had the surround-sound of his youth in the 21st century.

He moved around from the back of the couch to the front, wanting to give the coming story his full attention. He could ignore the dishes that needed putting away, and the mess about the flat (as he learned to call it). This deserved to be seen.

"And another child has gone missing, making this the seventeenth in two weeks," The woman on the news said, the worry in her eyes betraying the falseness of her steady voice. "Officials have no idea why there have been so many disappearances. The children range in age from one to thirteen years of age. All of them were taken at night, found to be gone from their beds in the morning leaving their parents stunned." She stopped, sniffed, cleared her throat, and continued. "Police are asking parents to take shifts to watch their children, and for single parents to get help from trusted friends or family." She took a breath. "The Face of Boe is set to be making his return to …."

Tim shut off the projection, the flat darkened except for the city light outside.

Earth, 5462. The planet, for once, was at total peace. 1500 years after the planet had healed from devastating solar flares, its vegetation regrown in most spots, and the world started from scratch. Very few of anyone actually lived on it for the moment, and if the history he was given was correct, no one really would for another thousand years. It was meant only for the rich, which he was thanks to his very old and very well fed bank account from 2300 years before.

So how was it that a planet in its most peaceful time in recorded history, with no more than a couple million people scattered across the globe in small, eco-friendly cities, was experiencing global wide kidnappings?

Well, global, he supposed, though mostly from there. London, or the rebuilt London after the ground had been properly filled. The Star Whale had taken a decent chunk of it, but the solar flares seemed to reshape it afterward.

He got up, moved to the window, catching his reflection. Short, dark hair and sideburns, though he never bothered with facial hair. He was still thin, but looked more so these days. His clothes, still the same from his younger days, were a bit baggier as of late. His eyes, though, didn't hide anything. They were old, much older than he looked due to stress and staring at screens. His glasses had helped, but not much. And under those old, weary eyes were dark circles.

"I should call." He said to himself for the dozenth time. "I should really call." He said to himself again as the weight of his fatigue hit him hard. It was only around seven in the evening, but he was dying for sleep. He also knew he wouldn't get it, and Elizabeth from next door already told him she had a shift in the morning. Very apologetically, and with a bit of a wince.

He must have looked awful.

So he moved to the kitchen where there was still a small light on, and grabbed the cell phone he refused to give up when he moved to this time and place. Ancient by their standards, it still charged as it should and worked just fine on the network.

He went through the contacts, hovering over one name, wrestling with himself as to whether or not he should call after all. He didn't want to, couldn't bring himself to do it, and set it down. He looked out the window, to the moon and the stars, and sighed.

"If you can hear me," he said and thought at once. "I have a request. I'm going to send something to her, but I don't want it to go … what I mean is, I want … oh you know what I want." He said as he picked up the phone, opened a new text for a different contact than he was intending. With another deep breath, he typed.

_Earth, London, Sky Plaza, flat 20 c, year 5462. I need you guys, badly. See you soon, Wolf Girl._

He hoped he would.

And even if the TARDIS or the time vortex, or whatever helped field Rose's incoming calls and messages didn't hear or couldn't fulfill his request, that bit of a plea might help.

He set the phone on the counter, knowing it was unlikely she'd answer right away, if at all before showing up.

The dishes could wait.

The mess, he supposed, wasn't as bad as he initially thought.

So he went to steal a moment, just a small one.

He went to the closed door and opened it as quietly as he could.

Her brown hair spread over her pillow in long tendrils. Behind her lids were baby blues that were constantly complemented, often followed by a "she looks just like you." Her tiny lips were in a pout as she hugged a stuffed toy he was told looked like an Adipose. He wasn't sure what that was, but that little girl sure did like the white blob thing.

He sighed, his heart swelling with love and his chest tightening with worry. He hadn't slept in what felt like weeks, only getting a few hours on days when one of his wonderful neighbors could come by and give the single father a break.

But he had to be sure that she was safe, going so far as reading or writing in the bean bag chair in the corner of her room most times just to make sure no one could sneak in through the 19th story window.

No one was going to touch his little girl, and Tim just called in the big, Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm to make sure of that.

* * *

 

"I told you, lots sunscreen!" The Doctor reminded Amy as they all clamored back inside the TARDIS. He was trying to be serious, but he was hysterically laughing in his mind.

"I didn't think that meant reapplying every twenty minutes!" Amy snapped back. Well, a humanoid lobster who looked like Amy. Admittedly it was really hard to take her seriously when she looked like a crustacean in a bikini and a sun hat.

"Well, follow me down to the med bay," The Doctor said as he gestured to the corridor and put on his jacket. "I'll use the dermal regenerator, get you back to you pasty self."

"Oi, pasty?" Amy protested as she followed the Doctor, her voice echoing through the corridor. "I did not go through all this to lack a tan."

"You're a ginger. Gingers don't tan." The Doctor's voice countered, fading as they went further into the ship.

"Can he seriously heal her burn that fast?" Rory asked, as Rose moved about the console solo, getting them into the Vortex.

"Never used the dermal regenerator on you while I was out of it?" She asked before throwing the dematerialization switch. She moved away once they were in the vortex, walking with Rory down the corridor to their bedrooms.

"Well, was only on less than one trip before you came out of your coma. He used his sonic to heal Amy's bite from the fish, but nothing … nothing like what's happening now." He replied, stopping outside his and Amy's bedroom door, which was placed directly across from hers and the Doctor's. I wasn't normally like that, but she was sure the TARDIS did this so as to not make them need to part ways just yet.

Rose tried not to let her eyes drift to what looked a bit like a cartoon drawing of a Roman sitting by a pond. She giggled the first time she noticed it, mostly because the TARDIS made sure to emphasize the Roman's nose, and still found it mildly comical each time she saw it. Not to mention that after meeting the TARDIS literally in person a couple weeks prior, Rose had a better sense of the personality the sentient time ship had. Hums, and blinks, and subtle changes said a lot, but hearing her sass, and snark, and humor portrayed with words was by far the best.

"Used it on me a lot in the early days," Rose replied, forcing herself to look to Rory. If he knew her eyes had drifted, he didn't show it. "Nearly every other trip, seems. Once my special talent was unlocked, well, didn't need it so much anymore."

"Unlocked?" Rory said, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah," Rose waved it off. "Was something I put in the time line when I was Bad Wolf. A sorta safe guard 'case what happened didn't happen. Almost got separated from the Doctor forever, was at least smart enough in all my uncontrolled power not to make it so I'd have to live out his life span without 'im."

"Makes sense." Rory nodded. "I mean, I'm human. Amy's human. Don't have matching life spans in the sense that we'd die at the exact same time, but I'd hate to live out what time I do have without her. Would feel long enough as it is, can't imagine it going on for centuries."

"Well, suppose neither did I." Rose smirked. "Anyway, we should change, get cleaned up. Might try and convince the Doctor to take a trip to Molaya 7. Gorgeous restaurant on a dwarf planet where the sun's up for an hour a day, and you can see a multitude of galaxies out every window."

"Sounds lovely," Rory agreed. "See you in a bit."

Rose nodded, and she and Rory went into their respective rooms.

Once the door was closed, Rose's bathing suit was off, the cover with it, and she darted to the shower. The sunblock left a residue over her skin from the constant application. They landed a bit late this go around on Solodarios 4, and the risk of burning the Doctor always went on about could be felt on her skin. Amy didn't heed the warning, and the result of that made Rose glad she had.

Once clean and dressed in jeans and black t-shirt, she put on her favorite boots, grabbed her blue leather jacket, and headed out to the console room.

"Amy is no longer a crustacean." The Doctor said as she entered the room. "Though I feel like perhaps I need to somehow purify my eyes. Why did she have to wear such a small …?"

"You stared at fish women." Rose teased as she came up beside her husband.

"I said I was lonely." He said with a pout. "Not so anymore. Amy's like a sister, and never once did I want to see my sister's …." His ears turned red.

"Yes, well, best you not complain too much. Not sure Rory would appreciate you looking at his wife's cleavage, even if it was to heal her." Rose eased, getting on her toes and giving the Doctor a quick kiss that landed just to the corner of his mouth. "So what now? Spend some time in the vortex?" She asked as he smirked, moving about the controls.

He started to ramble about it maybe being the best, what with Amy's penchant for warm places and her needing to wait until there was no chance of melanoma setting root, but Rose was distracted.

She had a phone for communication with their former companions, but it was rare for anyone to contact her while she wasn't right there to receive it. She noted the blue light on her device blinking to indicate a missed message. Rose plucked up her phone, seeing the message was from Tim. She wasn't sure why the words sent such a chill through her, but she promptly went to the controls and worked the information he gave her into the coordinate panel.

"Rose, what are you doing?" The Doctor asked, coming around beside her. She handed him the phone as she worked solo about the console. "Never good when he asks for help." The Doctor said absently.

"Because he never does?" Rose countered.

"And now we know Jenny and River have sort of taken him on as their own companion now." The Doctor replied, and Rose could feel his eyes on her as she neared the dematerialiation switch. He suddenly stepped up, blocking her from reaching it and putting his hand on it. "I'm still the pilot." He said with a grin.

"Do the honors, then." She gestured.

He grinned wider, throwing the switch.

"Heading off somewhere already?" Amy asked as she and Rory came into the console room. She was wearing thicker tights than she normally would with her short skirts, as well as a scarf and a knit shirt under her leather jacket. Must have still been feeling the post-sunburn chill despite being healed. Rory was in his normal wear, hands in his vest pockets as he leaned against the rail.

"A request from a friend that we pop over for a visit." The Doctor played it off. "Tim, you remember him?"

"Supposed psychic with the American accent?" Rory asked. "Yeah, I remember him."

"Good. Don't need to do introductions. At least, not for you lot. Possibly for him. Hard to tell. Wait …." He turned to Rose. "He said 5462? What is he doing there?"

"We'll find out, won't we?" She countered as the TARDIS landed much quieter and smoother than normal.

Rose moved for the doors eagerly, always excited to see one of her dearest friends.

Opening the door, she was taken aback by the darkened flat. She knew that it wasn't going to be the single room flat he had before, but she didn't expect it to be so big, or multi-roomed. She stepped out, looking around at the decor. There were pieces of art on the walls she could see, though what they were was hard to see by just the moon and city light. The furniture looked nice but practical.

One of the doors facing the TARDIS opened, and a figure stepped out, looking right at her. The second TARDIS door opened, flooding the room with the orange glow and illuminating the figure.

He looked thinner, and as if he'd been through hell. Tim's hair being cut so short was something she couldn't reconcile, and when paired with the glasses it nearly disguised him. But his style was the same, and despite being older, his eyes were still ones she recognized.

He glanced between her and what Rose assumed was the Doctor before coming a bit closer with a tired smile. "Glad you came." He said softly.

"Where's Jenny and River?" The Doctor asked curiously.

Tim snorted, shook his head. "Got me, Doctor." He said with shrug.

"So why are you here by yourself, then?" He asked their former companion.

"I live here now." He said simply. "This time I've found is … better for my general circumstances. I've managed to develop my telepathy a bit, have better control over my psychic abilities. The benefits of the fifty fifth century."

"But you're out of your time." The Doctor stressed cautiously.

"Again," Tim said with a tired sigh. "Better for my circumstances."

While she sensed the suspicion from her husband, Rose didn't care. She closed the distance between her and Tim, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Whatever's going on, we're here." She said as she closed her eyes.

"Good, because it's a bit of a global crisis." He said as he pulled back. Rose didn't miss the fleeting look of surprise on Tim's face. "Amy, Rory. It's …. It's been a while." He said, swallowing as his voice shook.

"Only been a couple months." Amy said behind her.

"For you, maybe." Tim said, a touch of his familiar cheek appearing for a second. He sighed, and his whole body sagged. "There's a problem with disappearances." He went on to explain. "Kids. Young kids, no teenagers. Seventeen in two weeks, from all over, but most taken from here."

"London. Always a magnet for danger, doesn't matter the century." The Doctor quipped. "How are they being taken?"

"From their beds in the middle of the night." Tim replied. "Method unknown. They're advising parents to do a night watch, keep an eye on their kids and be sure they don't just vanish. Fine for multi-parent homes, but the single ones … I'm willing to bet a couple thousand credits that those are the unfortunate souls whose kids are taken."

"Because no one can stay awake all night, work during the day, and do it all again." Rory said.

"Tell me about it." Tim sighed, digging the heel of his hand into his eye beneath his glasses.

"So I can understand you calling us to figure all this out, but you made it sound like this was affecting you." The Doctor said, arms moving about. "I get you're empathetic, likely are seeing flashes of what's happening, but why do you …?"

The Doctor was cut off by a tiny sounding, "Daddy?"

Rose looked behind Tim at the little brunette walking into the room, rubbing her eyes with her tiny fist, clutching a toy Adipose in her hands. She stopped short when she saw Rose, glanced at the Doctor for the briefest of moments, then returned her stare to Rose.

Rose smiled. "Hello." She said, kneeling down to try and be eye level with the little one.

The little girl looked to Tim.

"Livie, these are friends of mine, Rose and the Doctor." He said evenly, smiling at her gently. "And older friends, Amy and Rory."

"You mean like …?" She started to say but Tim put a finger to her lips and she stopped.

"Guys, this is Olivia, my daughter. I call her Livie."

"She's telepathic." The Doctor said, amazed, moving toward and crouching before Olivia. "With some well-placed shields. Not done by herself."

"Someone I trust implicitly placed them shortly after she was born. They'll break down and be replaced by her own when she gets older, and learns how to build them." Tim explained before kneeling down beside the Doctor and his daughter. "Livie, what are you doing up?"

"I heard a noise." She attempted to whisper and failed.

"Was probably their TARDIS." He said as he stroked her hair. She shook her head. "What did you hear?" He asked her.

"It was … was a, a, a hum." She said, then tried her best to imitate it. Rose didn't know what she was trying to sound like, and by the looks of things, neither had Tim.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" He asked her. "I'll go tuck you in."

"You haven't slept either, have you?" Rose asked him as Tim stood back up. "Single parent, aren't you?

He nodded. "Three days. I haven't slept in about three days." He admitted.

"Then you take your little girl in your room and hold on to her, get some sleep yourself."

"I'm a big girl, I don't need Daddy." Olivia pouted adorably.

"Yes, Sweetheart, I can see you're a big girl." Rose said kindly. "But maybe Daddy needs _you_?" She challenged.

The little girl frowned as she thought of this, then nodded.

"I don't need you to keep watch." Tim said softly.

"Yes you do." Rose nodded, gesturing for him to go to sleep. He sighed, nodded, and took Olivia's hand. He guided her to what Rose would guess was his room.

When the door closed nearly entirely behind him, Amy softly asked, "So we're gonna be hunting down kidnappers?"

"Seems so." The Doctor said in a hush, sounding distracted. He looked it, too. "Though one has to wonder why all these children are going missing. And what's more, why didn't Tim mention a ransom?"

"There's no television," Rory said as she stepped out of the TARDIS and glanced around. "He must read the news?"

The Doctor snapped out of whatever he was thinking about, then glanced around the dim room. He smiled, pleased with whatever he discovered, then extended his arm toward a wall.

A crystal clear projection came up at low volume, the news playing.

"That is brilliant." Rory marveled.

"The news story is not." The Doctor said.

Rose really paid attention to what was on the screen.

_Breaking News: the eighteenth child taken from a London home._

* * *

 

"Not Cybermen again," Rose asked as she moved about Tim's kitchen and started making a pot of coffee.

"Hmm? No, I don't believe so." The Doctor said from his spot on the sofa where he'd spent the night. Amy and Rory had returned to the TARDIS to entertain themselves and maybe catch a nap while the Doctor watched the news to learn what he could about what was going on. He bragged about his superior biology allowing him to listen for anything in the next room as well as the news, and everyone awake merely rolled their eyes at him.

At some point, Rose had fallen asleep, waking as the sun started to come up. It was then that she had got up, heading into Tim's kitchen, and started her morning.

"There were no deaths in relation," The Doctor continued. "And these children are not orphans or poor. Earth at this point is meant for the wealthy. No, from what I've seen there are no connections. They don't release the sort of details that Tim can guess on."

"We'll sort it out." Rose said, wishing she was more confident as she flicked the switch on the basic coffee pot.

The creek of a door caught her attention, and she turned to see the bedroom door open a tiny amount, and then close.

"Hello," The Doctor said warmly.

There was a shuffle of tiny feet. "Hi." A sleepy little voice said.

"Daddy still sleeping?" The Doctor asked as the tiny head of dark brown hair peeked over the edge of the sofa. It bobbed. "Are you hungry?" It bobbed again. "Would you like some fish fingers and custard? It's quite good."

She giggled. "Daddy says 's not breakfast food." She replied.

Rose watched as the Doctor's face split into a large grin. "So you must know me, then? No one else in the universe eats fish custard."

Olivia nodded again. "Where's Rose?" She asked.

"Over here." Rose said, and she watched as Olivia turned and peered at her over the edge of the couch.

Her eyes were a vibrant blue, wide and far too wise for a toddler. Familiar, too, in a way that felt like it should be obvious, but Rose couldn't place. "Hi," She said with a little wave.

"Hi. What would you like for breakfast, Livie?" She asked, hoping that it didn't seem too odd for the little girl to be called that by someone besides her father.

She brightened. "Can you make pancakes?"

"'Course." Rose said just as the TARDIS doors opened. She rustled about the kitchen, trying to find the stuff she'd need while listening to the others.

"Blimey you look like your Daddy." She heard Amy say, likely looking at Olivia full on in the light of day. "So how old are you?"

"Three." She stated plainly. "Your hair's not curly."

"No," Amy said, sounding amused. "Not unless I make it curly."

"Oh." Olivia said as Rose finished finding everything she needed. "You and Aunt Donna have the same hair."

"Aunt Donna?" Amy asked stiffly, and Rose tensed. "Who's Aunt Donna? Is she … is she a Williams or a Pond?"

"Why would she be a Pond?" Rory asked.

"She's a Noble Temple." Olivia replied matter-of-factly, making sound almost as if she was, in fact, a building. "She and Daddy are friends. Sometimes, sometimes we go flying to visit her."

"Do you?" The Doctor asked, not containing the spike of curiosity through his bond with Rose.

"Yeah. Parks are different where she lives, but I like 'em. They have things to climb."

"What are you telling them, Livie?" Tim's voice pulled Rose away from her task of mixing batter. His tone matched the warning in his eyes. Olivia, who she imagined was all smiles and happy curiosity before, was now serious and subdued, sinking back on the couch by the Doctor where Rose couldn't see her anymore.

"Nothing." She said.

Tim beckoned her over with a finger from where he stood in front of the bedroom, and Olivia complied. She clutched her Adipose while she stopped in front of her Dad, her tiny feet peeking out from under her night gown. Tim knelt, and with what looked like practiced skill, touched his fingers to Olivia's temples like the Doctor would.

The Time Lord leaned forward, keen on observing them, his wonder running rampant as he studied the pair.

Neither Tim nor Olivia closed their eyes during what was obviously a private, telepathic communication. Instead they stared unblinking until Tim smiled and eased back. "Soon." He said gently out loud. "And you're right, Rose does make the best pancakes."

"No," Rory said with confidence, shaking his head as he came toward the kitchen. "No, I promise you, _I_ make the best pancakes."

"I don't know, bro." Tim said, unsure. "I traveled with those two for a very long time. Been to dozens and dozens of planets and places, and have never had pancakes better than Rose's."

"Yeah, well, you never traveled with me." Rory said as he shooed Rose away and took over.

"Ah, he's sexy when he cooks." Amy crossed her arms and smiled before she remembered the little one in the room. "Oh, crap, umm, I mean, ah …." She blushed.

Tim seemed to whisper something in Olivia's ear, and she giggled hysterically.

"Oi, what did you say to her?" Amy asked, face going darker red.

"Nothing I can tell you." Tim said with a cheeky grin.

Breakfast was an oddly comfortable event. In some ways it didn't really surprise Rose, considering that the only new addition was Olivia. Yet the whole thing was terribly domestic, right down to the picnic on the living room floor since the kitchen table was only big enough to fit four at most. Olivia told them stories of her many adventures with her Dad, mostly to common places like museums or the park. She never mentioned anything like space or time travel, though Rose suspect she'd experienced her fair share of them both without truly realizing it.

The one thing that stuck out the most was how there was no mention of Olivia's mother.

Rose remembered what it was like growing up. There were no photos of her father on the wall to be a constant reminder to her mother of what was lost. The only time she'd ever see any proof of his existence was when her mother grew nostalgic and brought out the old box of his things. Likewise, there was no proof of Olivia having a mother. Rose adored Tim, and could see that he was likely an excellent father, but she doubted he would have stuck his hand in a machine to become one. What's more, she was a child, so if her existence was based on one parent it was by some other method.

"So, Tim. Not to spoil the mood, but there is a reason we came." The Doctor said after a brief lull of contented silence. "Do you know anyone who's lost their child?"

Tim set his plate aside, taking a deep breath and removing his glasses. "A neighbor." He nodded. "One of the first. She had a son couple years older than Livie. She and her boyfriend were in the next room. Checked on him, sat back down to watch a movie. Few minutes in she heard something, went in to check again. He was gone. Window was open, but it's summer. Most of us had had our windows open at that point. They live on the ground floor, she looked around." He shook his head. "A few days ago, someone from Livie's preschool hadn't shown up. I've been mostly sleep deprived so I honestly couldn't tell you anything more than it was a little boy. Don't know his name, parentage, nothing."

"I thought you said last night you were sure they were all single parents, the ones whose children were taken. Your neighbor has a boyfriend."

"He doesn't live with her. And he's not the little guy's dad." Tim turned to the Doctor. "I suspect you caught yourself up."

The Doctor nodded. "I have." He said as Livie got to her feet and skipped toward him. He pulled her up on his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and Livie sat comfortably as if she had always known him.

"So you know they're all human." Tim added.

"All human?" Amy asked. "We're on Earth, what else could they be?"

"Any number of things, Pond." The Doctor said. "This is the fifty-fifth century. At this point, you have a fair amount of interstellar immigrants. Even more so than you had in your time."

"What are you on about, Raggedy Man? There's no aliens living on Earth in our time."

"Wow, really?" Tim mused. "You really think that?"

"Well … suppose, human looking aliens." She reasoned.

"Which are still aliens." Rory said thoughtfully.

"It's just that by this time, they are more obvious in their alien-ness." The Doctor agreed.

"And there's more of them." Tim added in. "And they're the only ones that don't have to worry about their kids."

There was a light knock on the door, and Tim frowned as he got up to answer it. He opened the door just a bit and peeked out, and Rose noted how his entire posture relaxed at once. "Hey," He said with pleasant surprise.

"Hi," A woman said, sounding equally happy to see him. It was only when the woman spoke that Rose realized Livie only had a light accent by comparison to Tim. "My shift got canceled. I can take Livie for a bit if you want, though I'll admit you don't look near as tired as you had before."

"Umm, yeah. I had a few good friends come by last night. They're still here, actually, but, umm … if you want to come in." He stammered in a way Rose hadn't heard him do before.

"Oh, I couldn't. I wouldn't want to impose." The woman said, and Rose couldn't resist leaning forward enough to peek at her.

" _Rose."_ The Doctor warned through their bond, but she could feel his amusement as well.

"What she look like?" Amy asked quietly.

Rose finally caught sight of her. "Blonde, no surprise there." She replied with a smirk. "Taller than him. By a bit. Pretty. Has blue eyes. Quite pale."

"You wouldn't be imposing." Tim said automatically, and Rose thought she noted a bit of a smile on his face. "But I understand if you aren't comfortable."

"Maybe I can come back tonight?" She asked a bit more softly.

"They might be around for a couple days." Tim said. "Umm," He then glanced back, noticed Rose being nosy, and rolled his eyes. The woman, who ever she was, seemed to recognize her somehow, but before much more was said, Tim gestured for the woman to step back and he followed her into the hallway and closed the door.

"That's Lizzy." Livie said matter-of-factly. "She's Daddy's girlfriend."

"Is she?" Amy asked, glancing at Rose before leaning toward Livie where she sat on the Doctor's lap. "Do you like her?"

"She's really nice. When Daddy has to work she plays with me. And weekends we go shopping and go for ice cream. Lizzy taught Daddy how to do braids, but he doesn't get them right."

"Oh I can do that," The Doctor said, shifting Olivia so her hair was easier to get to. "And when did Daddy meet 'Lizzy'?" He asked, keeping his voice light while Rose felt his suspicion.

Olivia frowned. "I dunno." She said.

"Has Lizzy always been around, then?" Rory asked, seeming to sense what the Doctor was curious over.

Olivia nodded as much as she could while the Doctor braided.

Disappointment, and guilt at that disappointment, crashed over the Doctor and seeped through the bond.

The door opened, and Tim closed it behind him, pausing as he made his way back to them and stared at the Doctor. "Yeah, sure, _French braid_ her hair. Show me up." He gestured to his daughter but couldn't keep his displeasure long before he smiled lovingly at her. "Is the Doctor done with your hair?" He asked.

"Almost," The Time Lord said, reaching in to his pocket and pulling out one of Rose's hair ties. He finished up, then gave Olivia a gentle nudge. She slid off his lap.

"Okay, go get dressed. Lizzy's going to take you out for a bit."

"Yay!" Olivia said, darting into her room.

"And while Livie is out with Lizzy?" Rose asked teasingly, tongue between her teeth.

"We five can try and sort this all out, or at least have a better understanding what's going on." Tim replied.

"Daddy!" Olivia's muffled voice called from her room. "I'm stuck in my shirt!"

Tim sighed, shook his head, and went to help her.

"Is it possible the TARDIS could tell us what was happening?" Amy asked. "I mean, all of time and space, you could look up any big event, yeah?"

"Within reason." The Doctor nodded as he stood and straightened his bow tie.

"Well, lots of kidnappings in the fifty-fifth century. Seems like something the TARDIS would know, yeah?" She hinted.

The Doctor got up from his chair and moved swiftly to the big blue box. He snapped his fingers, stepped in, and disappeared inside.

"He doing a google search or whatever? Like he did with Van Gogh?" Amy asked.

"She doesn't work like that." Rose shook her head. "When you know an outcome it sorta sets things in place. If we _know_ that there were, say twenty-five missing children in this event than we'd be stuck letting it happen."

"But you can change time, can't you? Rewrite it?" Rory asked as the three went to find out what the Time Lord was up to.

"Sometimes that can be bad." Rose replied. "Sometimes reading something makes it set, fixed. Can't be changed after that." She stepped inside, seeing the Doctor hunched over the console and staring at the monitor. "Find anything."

His stare got dark, a glint in his eyes that betrayed the worry and fear she could feel coming off of him. She was beside him in an instant, staring at the screen and not understanding anything that was there.

"What's the matter?" Rose asked him.

"There's, uh … there's traces of something I haven't seen in about a hundred years. Something dangerous, deadly. It was … it was how we met Donna."

Rose couldn't quite remember. The memory of their introduction to Donna had been tainted with the pain of losing her mother, and having just saying goodbye. She couldn't recall all the circumstances that lead to it, but did know that had somehow triggered her Bad Wolf side.

The Doctor was still one second, then frantic the next. Moving swiftly around the console, he flicked switches and turned knobs until he sent them on their way to location unknown.

"Whoa, ya just gonna leave Tim behind?" Rose asked, but the Doctor said nothing. When the TARDIS landed with a thud, the Doctor moved at inhuman speed down the ramp and out the door. When it slammed behind him, the TARDIS didn't protest. Which meant something was seriously off.

Rose darted out after him, pausing when she found herself in what looked to be an utter wasteland. There was a thick fog, or at least she hoped that's what it was, lingering in patches and allowing peeks at the remains of whatever city this was before. She heard Rory and Amy coming up behind her and spun around to stop them.

"Not another step. TARDIS atmosphere will protect ya so long as you're inside." She told them hand up to emphasize the need to not move as Amy and Rory gapped at the surroundings outside the TARDIS.

"Aren't you worried about … whatever you're worried about when it comes to us?" Rory asked. "Like radiation, or whatever?"

"Can't die unless he does." She said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the Doctor. "And if it was something that'd kill him, I'm as good as gone now anyway. But you two stay put, yeah?" She said as casually as she could, her stomach knotting while she remained appearing unconcerned about the whole thing.

Amy and Rory nodded, and Rose went off to find her husband, using their bond as a sort of tracker.

She stopped cold when tears pricked her eyes, her heart twisting in agony with loss. She looked around her frantically, starting to feel rage boil through her and dried the tears that had yet to spill before she was abruptly thrown into cold unfeeling. The Doctor must have closed the bond then, because she was once more neutral. She strained to hear, and eventually picked up on the heavy clomp of her husband's foot falls coming toward her.

She turned to see him, dread washing over her as the Oncoming Storm made his way through the fog.

"Doctor?"

"Not now." He said through his teeth though not entirely angry. She heard the gentleness in his tone, which only seemed to make it worse.

She followed him back into the time ship, watched from just inside, in front of the doors as he moved more slowly around the console though handled the controls roughly. He kept his head bowed, eyes far off with a mixture of emotions in them she had yet to see in this body. He consistently reminded her of his ninth self with some of his physicality's, and the way he stood hunched at the moment was so much like that him she could practically smell the leather.

"Doctor?" Amy asked softly from the jumpseat she and Rory occupied.

"I'm going to bring you back to Tim's. We're returning a few seconds after we just left, and I won't be long for you lot." He said as they landed. "Rose and Tim will bring you two up to speed with the history of our friend Donna."

"And where are you off to?" Rose asked.

"To take care of something." He said simply. Rose didn't move as the Ponds slowly got up and left the TARDIS, glancing between the Time Lord and the sort of human as they left. When the door closed most of the way, the Doctor strode toward her, cupping her cheek when close enough. "Just go, please."

"What did you find?" She asked him.

He swallowed visibly, eyes clouding over again, pain dominating. "Nothing you should see." He said with a very faint twitch of his lips before kissing her firmly.

Rose nodded once, understanding, and left the TARDIS.

* * *

 

Tim heard the TARDIS leave as he helped Olivia get dressed, and seconds later heard it reappear. He wasn't surprised.

Not wanting to say anything first thing in the morning, and especially not in front of his little girl, he ignored the lingering memories of the visions he had the night before.

Of golden glows, and Oncoming Storms. Of sinister smiles and children….

He abruptly pulled Olivia in his arms and held her tight, kissing the top of her head. She didn't say anything, used to the general affection he gave her on a daily basis.

"Let's drop you off to Lizzy's." He said as he stood up from where he stayed on his knees. She took his hand, and they headed out of her room.

"Be back in a minute." He said to Amy and Rory. He heard the TARDIS door creak open as he left the apartment.

"Daddy," Olivia said. "Why can't I talk about Auntie River? Don't they know her yet?"

"Ah," Tim said, stopping in the middle of the corridor and staring at Elizabeth's door while Olivia stared at him. He scratched the back of his neck. "It's complicated, Sweetie. You know how, um, well, Daddy sometimes …."

"Your thought things." Olivia said sagely, bringing a smile to Tim's lips. He hadn't called them that himself in a very long time, a couple of decades at least. But when he had to explain them to Olivia when he wondered if she was having them as well, it was the simplest way he could think of explaining them to a then two year old. A disturbingly intelligent two year old who was asked to leave three day cares because she was too smart for them.

"Yes, Daddy's thought things. Well, they know her. They just don't know who she is yet."

She took the hem of his t-shirt and gave it a tug. He bent down, getting on one knee and waiting for what she wanted. Olivia leaned in, cupping his ear as she whispered, "Is that why I can't let them into my mind?"

"Yeah," Tim said, giving her a kiss on the forehead and standing again. He stepped up to Elizabeth's door and knocked.

She opened it with a smile barely more than a few seconds later. "Hey," She said to him, then to Olivia. "Hey, Livie. Go ahead and wait inside." She said, but Olivia was already racing into the flat.

Tim snorted, shook his head, and leaned on the door frame. He tried to ignore the concern in Elizabeth's face for as long as possible, but after a bit met her eye.

"Are you _positive_ you don't want to tell them?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Tim nodded. "Unless it explicitly comes up, which I'm hoping it doesn't, I can't risk them knowing anything about her."

Elizabeth nodded before twisting her face in confusion. "I thought the Doctor was … older. A bit crotchety."

"Young version." Tim said with a shrug.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Well, let me know how Rose still looks the same, and I'll be a happy woman."

"You look great for forty-seven, what are you on about? You know what forty-seven looked like in my time? Grey. Wrinkles starting." Tim mused, making Elizabeth laugh and his heart swell.

"Yes, well, suppose you're glad you relocated then. How else would you explain looking as you do at sixty?"

"Fifty-nine, thanks." He corrected her. "And you know … you know why coming here was best. Though with everything that's been happening …."

"You have them here." Elizabeth soothed, putting hand on his shoulder and caressing his neck with her thumb. "You know they would sort it out. Your Wolf Girl and … what did you call him? Storm Boy?" She chuckled. "You'll have it solved. I know you will. And when it's all over, we will carry on with our plans."

"You sure you want to do that?" Tim asked slyly.

"You bet I do." Elizabeth said with cheek before leaning in and kissing him firmly. Unlike earlier, Tim didn't let it become languid. Olivia was likely watching, grinning like the silly little loon she was, and he didn't dare have anyone from his apartment come by and witness anything prolonged.

Reluctantly pulling away, he grinned as best he could. "See you girls later."

"See you then." Elizabeth said as she backed into her flat and closed the doors.

Well, her flat for now.

As it always does when he thought of he future, a pang of guilt Tim in the heart. He closed his eyes, shook it off, and forced himself to return to his place and hope beyond all hopes that the Doctor and Rose would have a clue as to what was happening.

* * *

 

"He was a bit snippy." Amy said as she stepped out of the TARDIS, Rory right behind her.

"Was he?" He countered, stepping away from the doors as Rose had yet to step out yet.

"In his own way." Amy replied, crossing her arms as she moved and plopped down on the couch. She glanced over as Tim and his daughter left her room.

"Be back in a minute," he said, barely acknowledging them as he left the flat just as Rose stepped out.

She was looking at the floor, mouth twisted in confusion as she stepped a few feet away from the TARDIS. The engines started up again, and she barely looked over her shoulder as it faded in and out of existence until it was no more.

"Oi, what's got his knickers in a twist?" Amy asked, gesturing with her head to where the TARDIS was even if Rose wasn't looking at her when she asked.

"Not sure," Rose replied absently.

Silence lingered around them, and Amy ignored the sharp pain in her abdomen in favor of watching Rose intently. Even when she was sure Rory caught the flicker of pain, having placed his hand on her shoulder, Amy kept her gaze fixed on the blonde woman biting her thumb.

Rose looked as if she were trying very hard to search her memory for something, eyes looking to nothing in the air surrounding her.

"So who is this Donna we keep hearing about?" Amy asked, still not fully getting Rose's attention.

"A dear friend," She replied absently. "She, umm, she traveled with us and Tim."

"And where's she now?" Rory asked. "Tim obviously started traveling with your daughter before he settled down. What happened to Donna?" He asked, and Amy glanced up to see he appeared a bit worried about the answer.

Rose turned to them, looking at each of them in turn as if only just realizing they were still in the room despite talking to them. "Donna had a bit of an accident." She started. "She saved he world when the Davros and the Daleks moved the Earth. But when she did, she accidentally … you know what, hard to explain yeah? Complicated. Just know that she had an accident, and as a result she had to stop traveling with us. She's fine, safe, living a great life in Chiswick. We stop by 'bout every five years for us and have tea, catch up. Hasn't had a chance to meet the new Doctor yet, may never, dunno if it's safe."

"And this 'accident'," Rory pressed. "Is this the bit the Doctor wanted you to fill us in on?"

Rose shook her head. "Can't be. What happened was a literal one time possibility. Couldn't and wouldn't have anything to do with children missing. But I'm forgetting somethin'. Doctor said what he found was deadly dangerous. Hadn't seen it in a hundred years, so what am I forgettin'?"

"Say memory is the first to go in old age, there, Granny." Amy teased, smirking as the jab hit Rose just the way she wanted it to.

"Oi, Granny?" Rose said indignantly. "Where you get off sayin' something like that?"

"Over a hundred, aren't you?" Amy countered, smile growing as the door to the flat opened behind her. "My own Gram didn't make it to eighty."

"Why are we calling Rose 'Gram' now?" Tim asked as he came toward them, face blank as he rubbed his palms on his jeans.

"'Cause she's an old bird with memory loss." Amy replied, chuckling to herself.

"Yes, well, live past a hundred, few things are bound to go missing, yeah?" Rose countered with a glare before looking to Tim. "What was special 'bout Donna other than the Meta Crisis?" She asked him.

Tim seemed to think on it, eyes going unfocused, his posture becoming still. "Mistaken for a Princess, Savior to many in the Universe." He said mechanically. "Saved us from the dream state." He seemed to come back to his senses, blinking. "Why did I see Donna in a wedding dress and a twenty-foot spider alien?"

"Those exist!?" Amy asked, pulling her legs up on the couch to avoid being near an non-existent spider.

"Not anymore." Rose said absently, seeming to think on what Tim said. "She was … she was used. She was being dosed with something …." And just as the TARDIS began to reappear, stirring up the contents of the living room as welThas the hair of its occupants, Rose seemed to come to a horrifying understanding.

When the TARDIS was fully formed, the doors opened, and the Doctor stepped out, hands in his pockets, purple tweed jacket gone.

"Huons." Rose said simply, and the Doctor nodded. "Deadly, dangerous huons. That's what you picked up on your scanner?" She asked again, her voice catching. He nodded again, grimly.

"Doc," Tim said, voice shaking. "Tell me it's not … I can be wrong, so just tell me I was wrong for once."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "I can't do that, Tim."

"Doctor?" Amy asked, dread welling inside her along with the need to hug herself around her abdomen.

The Doctor swallowed, falling back on the TARDIS. "It's the children." He said. "Whoever is taking them … they're dosing them with huons. Ease to trace, of course, but …."

Tim ran from the room, and the echo of him retching punctuated the silence. Amy felt sick to her stomach, her throat tightening at the thought. Her chest heaved uncontrollably, and something between a sob and a scream managed to escape the hand she clasped over her mouth.

Because huons were deadly, and if the children were being dosed with them, it could only mean one thing, and it made her heart shatter.


	24. Lost Stars pt 2

The Doctor lead them into the medbay once Tim was able to leave the bathroom, and Amy had calmed down from the hysterics that overwhelmed her.

Rose wasn't sure what to expect, the Doctor not giving any explanation before bring them down. So seeing twelve occupied beds, children of all sizes laying unconscious in them, was a bit of a surprise. Monitors were beside each bed, attached to each one, and something that looked quite a bit like the shade to a desk lamp hovered above each of the children's heads, drawing out tiny gold flecks.

"No one but Rose can approach any of the beds." The Doctor cautioned, his voice betraying how tired he was. "It's not even entirely safe for me to be near them."

"What's happening to them?" Amy asked, a bit of a quiver in her voice.

"I'm releasing the huons from their systems." He said. "These precious little humans were barely hanging on when they were just … tossed there. A quick flash and there they were." He reached into his trouser pockets and pulled out something that looked like a tiny wrist watch. "They were all wearing these. One way vortex manipulators. Returns them to the right planet, right time, but not likely the right place. I went back to where we picked up on the reading before, waited for days. As long as I could. Each child that came through …."

"There were eighteen missing." Tim said, voice steady despite the tense jaw. "So the other six?"

"Afraid so," The Doctor sighed. "Weaker of the lot, my guess. These ones … it was close. Every time, it was so close. Seconds away from life or death." His eyes grew stormy, everything about him tensing. "I'm not even sure I understand what the point is." He snapped. "Why dose children with huons when even the smallest amount can be lethal? What can possibly happen other than killing these innocent little ones?"

Tim shook his head.

Rose moved toward them. There was a surprising amount of small children, less than half looking to be older than six years old. "What happened with the ones that didn't make it?" She asked.

She felt a pang of grief through their bond before the Doctor cleared his throat. "I ensured they were returned to their parents for a proper burial. I made sure there were no traces of huons to possibly poison or interfere with the future, and … well, you don't need to know the details." He said, though flashes of what looked like a church came through the bond before he closed off his end again. "It's been a long week for me."

"You've been gone a week?" Rory asked.

"Yes." The Doctor said. "I wanted to make sure I had an accurate count before returning to a point in time where I wasn't properly sure how many were left to be taken. Hopefully no more."

"And how are we going to do that?" Tim asked, and Rose turned to see him confronting the Doctor as if he were the enemy. "'Cause I have a feeling I know what you're going to say, and I'm telling you right now, right here and now that you are _not_ putting Olivia up for bait!" He spat out.

"How else can we figure out who is taking the children, and why, if we don't have some way to follow them?" The Doctor countered. "Normally I would send Rose in, but I think she's a bit old to pass for a teenager of thirteen."

"So your solution is to send in my three year old daughter?" Tim countered.

"Well it's not like I can go up to random people and ask if they'd be willing to let their child be called away or whatever." The Doctor raised his voice, gesturing toward the beds. "How many more, Tim? How many more tiny people do I need to bring in here, sedate so they don't wake from the intense pain pulling those particles from their small bodies would cause? I would never let anything happen to your little girl, not a thing. We would never let her out of our sight."

"Doctor, be reasonable." Rory stepped between the two of them, hands raised in front of him. "You're asking him to willing put Olivia in harms way. If it were your daughter…."

"He'd let her." Tim snapped. "Or what's worse, she'd volunteer."

Rory looked over his shoulder at Tim, pleading with a glance for him to calm down and remain silent. Tim relented, rubbing at the bridge of his nose under his glasses and turning away.

Rory then looked to the Doctor. "Would you put a little Jenny in this situation?"

The Doctor looked like he wanted to say yes, but his squared shoulders sagged seconds after stiffening, and he looked away.

"No." He admitted.

"So why would you even _think_ to consider Livie?" Tim asked, exasperated.

"Because Livie is a stronger telepath than Jenny is, for one. I could form a link with her, have a connection with her …."

"Do not, under _any_ circumstances, form a mental link with my daughter. Don't enter her mind, don't even glance at it." Tim warned.

"I would never hurt her." The Doctor assured.

"I know." Tim said honestly. "But that's not the reason you can't form a link with her." He turned and walked out of the medbay, his footsteps fading as he headed down the corridor.

The room was silent and tense before Amy asked, "Would you have really put his little girl in danger?"

"I'd never let it get that far." The Doctor replied. "Not at all. Tim is essentially family to us, which means Olivia is as well. I would never let anything happen to her. But I don't know what other way we could possibly figure out how they're taking the children, where they're taking them, and why they're being pumped full of manufactured huons."

Rose looked down at the child to her right. A baby not quite to the stage of a toddler. Her heart clenched at the thought of what the parents of this poor babe must be going through, worried sick, blaming themselves. For as long as this child would live, they'd likely never have a good night's sleep again. There would always be the check in, waking at every sound, terrified every moment the rounded the corner to head to school that they wouldn't come home. Every child in the medbay had at least one parent who would likely go through the same thing, regardless of how old their lost little one was.

Rose looked to the door that one of her dearest friends had just left through, and found herself following. Her husband poked her mind with his, but she ignored him.

The TARDIS hummed, directing Rose quickly to console room where the doors were open, and the light from Tim's flat filtered in.

Heading out, she found he wasn't in the living room. Possibly the bathroom, maybe his room, as both doors were closed, but she halted in her search for him when she noticed Olivia sitting patiently on the couch with her hands folded in her lap. She looked up at Rose, and smiled.

"Lizzy and I hadn't left yet." She said. "She got a call. She's a nurse, she gets called a lot."

"Did she just leave you alone, Love?" Rose asked, moving to sit next to the little girl.

Olivia shook her head. "She saw Daddy coming out of the TARDIS when she brought me back in. They went out into the hallway to talk." She paused, considering something with a pout. "Daddy's always so scared I'm going to end up like Mommy. He doesn't say it, but I know."

Rose frowned. "Is it so bad to be like your Mummy?" She asked, genuinely surprised Olivia knew anything about her. There were no pictures of anyone more than she and her father around the flat, and no mention came up prior.

Olivia seemed to consider this very carefully. "I don't know." She said really quiet. She looked sad quite suddenly, and Rose couldn't fight the instinct she had to wrap her arms around the little girl and hold her close. Olivia crawled up in her lap, resting her head on Rose's chest. Rose in turn hugged her tighter, resting her cheek against the top of the little girl's head. She wondered what was keeping the rest of the lot, the Doctor and their friends, Tim and his girlfriend, counting the seconds by the double thrum of Olivia's hearts beating in her tiny body.

Rose tensed, eyes widening as her breath caught. She leaned back, looked down at the little one who stared back just as frightened. Rose's hands slipped off the little girl's back as she studied Olivia's face for any hint that what she was guessing should have been evident from the start. All she saw was Tim in Olivia's features, and with that uncertainty, Rose put the heel of her hands over both sides of Livie's chest.

Two little hearts raced.

"Don't tell Granddad." She said in a tiny voice that was almost unheard. Rose barely had time to shake her head before the apartment door opened.

Her head shot up, and she met Tim's equally terrified gaze as he remained frozen like a deer in headlights in his doorway.

"Rose." He said, "It's … it's hard to … I mean I can …." He never finished what he was saying as the Doctor's heavy step echoed inside the TARDIS,the Old Girl likely projecting the sound through her still opened doors.

Rose pulled her hands away from Olivia like they burned her, and the little girl slid off her lap and back onto the cushion she had been on before. Tim closed the door quickly, slamming it slightly in the effort to look normal. He wiped his palms on his jeans before coming to stand behind the sofa while the trio left the TARDIS.

"So Rory had a thought. A pretty good one, actually, and it wouldn't really require anything from any of us except to keep watch and be able to run." The Doctor said as he stepped out, clasping his hands together and looking to Rose and Tim sheepishly. "That is, of course, if you can get your girlfriend to stay with Olivia tonight. Olivia who is here and not with your girlfriend like she should be." The Doctor's ears turned red as he seemed to notice the little girl for the first time.

"Lizzy got called to work. She's a nurse. She does important work." Olivia said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, nurses do do very important work, don't they?" Rory said with a slightly puffed chest.

Olivia frowned. "I always thought that you were a …."

"Da, da, da, Livie." Tim interrupted her loudly. He huffed with exasperation, pulling at his hair. "God, you're as bad as your mother sometimes." He mumbled quietly, Rose having only heard him because he was so close.

She felt the spike of shock from the Doctor but did her best to keep a straight face and ignore it. "So what's your plan, then, Rory?" She asked the confused looking nurse.

"Plan, yes, right. Well, see, I was thinking, there isn't an real way to know for sure how they chose which children to take. So even if we were to set a trap, not very likely that anyone would even fall into it. But maybe we could all sort of sit up on a roof, stand at street level near a building, watch for any signs of something off. Scan for alien tech."

"And you think that will work?" Rose then asked the Doctor.

He shrugged, his gaze locked on to Olivia. "Yes." He said flatly. "Rory's right, even if my plan could have been put into action, there was no guarantee it would work. This might be better."

"How are we going to know when there's activity? These people come in and out of people's homes without making a sound. How are we going to track them?" Tim asked.

The Doctor seemed to hesitate, wringing his hands as he continued to stare at Olivia. "Tiny Vortex manipulators." He said. "If they have those, likely use big ones to get to here from where they are. Just need to look for the spike in energy they give off. Maybe if we're lucky, if we run, we can catch them before they disappear."

"And if we don't?" Tim asked.

"I'll have to think of a plan 'c' then, won't I?" The Doctor asked, looking Tim in the eye and giving off a hint of bitterness.

Olivia laid her little hand on Rose's, and Rose did her very best not to let on how long she suspected this day would become.

* * *

 

Elizabeth wasn't available. Not a big deal, of course, as Amy admitted to not feeling much like running and was far more interested in staying with Olivia than hunting down kidnappers who did far worse than steal children. Rose had noticed Rory with her off in a corner, looking as though he was trying to get something out of her and wasn't having much luck. When the sun set, and the time where most children started heading to bed came around, the rest of them took positions. Rory went with the Doctor, waiting in the streets below for to possibly catch the captors at a run, Rose and Tim waited on the roof of his building with a second scanner.

There was a tense silence between them, one that had never existed in all the time that Rose had known the man beside her. There were dozens of questions she wanted to demand answers of, but many she was too scared to ask.

The sky grew darker, stars unseen in London from her pre-Doctor time began to dot the sky, and the scanner in her hand showed no change.

"Remember when we sat up on a roof way back when that never happened?" Tim asked, breaking the silence for the first time in what seemed like hours. "You were about to return to England to save the Doctor, and I was about to die." Tim said as Rose sat next to him. "There are days where I miss that time. Was simpler, less complicated. I could still think what ever future I'd have would possibly involved re-building the Earth, maybe writing the history of what happened so no one could forget."

Rose's mouth went dry, struggling between not wanting to talk about the Year that Never Was, and not knowing how to ask about Olivia.

Tim glanced over, snorted, shook his head with a slight upward pull of his lips. "Ask."

"Explain." Rose replied simply.

"Where do I start?" He countered.

"I don't know." Rose shook her head. "Why isn't she here?"

Tim took a breath. "Jen … Jen and I just didn't …." He huffed a heart heavy sigh. "We planned on forever, my forever. Not long after … an event, yet to come for you, I traveled with her and River off and on. I was injured, and while I was recovering we came to learn a bit about a fiftieth century technology that enhances a life span. Doubling, tripling in some cases. Halts aging. Jenny jumped at the chance to have me around a lot longer than I should have been."

"You did what?" Rose snapped.

Tim scoffed. "Excuse me, what did you do when you were barely more than a teenager? You rewrote your biology, linked your life to the Doctor's, just so he'd never have to be alone. Jen, she took the story of that to heart, and she did the next best thing she could think of to keep me with her." He said quite firmly. He took a breath. "Anyway. River sort of noticed something as we were traveling. Behavioral differences in Jen, like how she ate, her energy levels, little things that we didn't notice because I'm human and I thought maybe she was just assimilating me. Turned out that against the odds, Jen was pregnant."

"Olivia." Rose acknowledge.

Tim nodded. "Olivia. But while I was the typical expectant father: excited, scared, nervous - Jen was nothing. She just sort of shrugged it off. Which, well, we didn't worry about at first, but…." He pulled at his hair, and Rose could see the pain in Tim's eyes build. "Genetic Anomaly. She has the instincts of a warrior, an explorer. She loves with her whole heart, experiences the full spectrum of proper emotions, bit she lacks instincts not programmed into her. She would run head long into danger, and had no maternal need to protect. It was an afterthought."

"So you left her?" Rose asked, confused and a bit hurt on her daughter's behalf.

"We left each other." Tim replied, looking at his feet. "She didn't want to stop running, I didn't want to run with our daughter. She didn't want to be tied down to a life filled with windows and doors, proper homes and good school districts, I didn't want Olivia to see the horrors and wonders of the Universe and think that entirely the norm. Jen didn't have a childhood, couldn't comprehend what that meant. Even the Doctor, as much as he and I didn't get on the best when Jen and I were together, was on my side. I was already in my mid fifties when Olivia was born, dying my hair and saying I was just aging really well while I was home. I couldn't have kept it up much longer, certainly not as Livie grew up, so Jen set us up here.

"She always said that you and the Doctor showed her what real love looked like. And we did, Rose, I swear we loved each other for years. I still do. Probably will for the rest of my life. But it wasn't enough."

When Tim finished, silence fell heavy between them. There were tears on his cheeks that fell silently while his voice remained steady, and he still refused to look to Rose.

"Does she see her? Jenny, does she see her daughter?" Rose asked, needing to clear the tremor from her voice.

"She does love her, Rose. Yes, she sees Livie. Drops by from time to time, brings her gifts from her travels. But she's sorta like … aunt mom. Comes in, spoils her, then leaves. And before you ask, yes, she knows about Elizabeth. Jen, from what I understand, is a bit more … free with whom she spends her time, but I think at this point she's got a few centuries on me, so I can't say I blame her. And who knows, maybe the way she is choosing to be in Livie's life means when Livie grows up she can join Jen as a companion in her own right. Doc mentioned an old granddaughter before that used to travel with him like that."

"So … Jenny's a few centuries old from your perspective." Rose said, chewing her lip. "So how old am I?"

Tim finally looked at her, dead in the eye. "Old" He said flatly. "Ancient, really. You're older than, crip, so many things. There are planets younger than you that have been around nearly a millennium. Babies compared to you."

"Come off it," Rose gave him a nudge with her shoulder and he chuckled. "We're still friends, though, yeah? Know it must be complicated with the whole then involving Jenny, but we still get on, yeah?"

"You remain my best friend in this Universe." Tim said with a nod. "And despite the odds, the Doctor and I are getting along again as well."

Settled for the moment, knowing that they topic could likely be discussed to death and she may never be satisfied with how things come to be Rose let it go. Resting her head against Tim's shoulder, letting him put his arm around her shoulder, she stared out at the skyline.

A flicker of light caught her eye from below, and just as she looked down to see what it could have been, the scanner beeped.

"Oh shit," Tim said, bolting quicker than Rose had ever known him to run. She looked to him, to the scanner, to the spot below where she saw the flicker of light. Tim's place was on the opposite side of the building from where he was standing, so he couldn't have been worried about Olivia.

Could he?

She felt the Doctor's spike of fear a moment later, and from the perspective she saw, the possible disruption would have been roughly around Tim's floor. The Doctor and Rory had seen it, if her image was right, from a couple blocks away.

Without letting any worry come to her, she took off running for the stairs Tim was already fleeing down.

* * *

 

"Farmer Brown was furious," Amy read from the book in her hand for the dozenth time in a row. "No milk and no eggs? How am I supposed to run his farm? He heard the cows in the barn typing away on the typewriter. _Click, clack, moo._ "

Olivia giggled hysterically. For a child that was actually begging Amy to read her _Pride and Prejudice,_ she seemed to be enjoying the simple story as much as she seemed to want to reader the longer one. It made the ginger giddy inside, snuggling with this little girl on her bed, hearing the peels of laughter. Her heart warmed, and it became really easy to ignore the odd, pricking pain she felt in her abdomen. If she let her mind wander just enough, she could imagine the same scenario in the flat she shared with Rory.

They finished the book, and then finished it again, before Amy notice the little one's eyes start to droop.

"Think it's time for shut eye." She said, brushing Olivia's hair from her face.

"Daddy's not home." She protested before yawning.

"Your Daddy's with the Doctor, and Rose, and Rory trying to stop the bad guys from …." She wasn't sure she should continue.

"From taking the kids like Malcolm." Olivia finished in her sleep heavy voice. "Daddy thinks he's keeping it secret, but I know. I have thought things too."

"Thought things?" Amy asked, and Olivia nodded. "What are those?"

"I see what's gonna happen." Olivia replied. "Granddad calls it time sense, but I like Daddy saying it's thought things. I like being more like Daddy than Granddad."

"And who's your Granddad?" Amy asked, though she had her suspicions.

"Not supposed to say." Olivia replied.

Amy glared at the top of her head with a slight grin to her lips, amused by the maturity this tiny person was showing yet how child like she still was.

Olivia's eyes began to flutter shut, and while there was a lot Amy still wanted to ask of her, she let the little brunette slowly fall asleep against her. It was quite late, after all, and there wasn't much light in the room except a well-shaded bedside lamp. The rest of the apartment was dark as well, because as much as the Doctor swore up, down, and sideways that there was no way he was going to use Olivia as bait, Amy suspected he still hoped she was somehow a target to ensure the arrival of someone.

A wave of fatigue overcame Amy as the warmth of Tim's daughter, as well as her soft, steady breathing, relaxed her. Her own eyes started to drift, but she forced them to remain open. She looked about the room, noting some quite alien things on shelves. She recognized the stuff toy tucked under Olivia's other arm as the little fat blob things Rory snapped a picture of during one of his work placements in a London hospital. There was a cluster of pictures pinned over Olivia's dresser, but they were all too far away to see properly.

Sliding off the bed and careful not to wake her, Amy crept quietly toward the make-shift college.

Lots of Olivia with various people. Rose, which was the most common and recognizable person aside from Tim. I nearly equal count to Rose was a gray haired man, a few wrinkles on his face though they were nearly non-existent in the photos where he was smiling. She spotted River in a few, and Jack as well. There was a ginger woman, middle age, that was quite obviously not her. In fact, it actually broke Amy's heart to see there were no photos of her or Rory up on the wall at all. She supposed that maybe she and Rory simply weren't considered as close to Tim as these other people were. Not even Jenny made it in more than one photo, and Amy was nearly positive she and Tim were a thing before this whole stop over. There weren't even any photos of the Doctor, or at least the Doctor she knew, among the lot. Maybe it was the gray haired man? Maybe that boyish face didn't last forever and he wasn't going to age very well? But he didn't look anything like the Doctor now. Not a lick.

Shrugging Amy stepped away to look about the room and at the other strange and wonderful things lining Olivia's bedroom walls.

She was about to handle a fuzzy looking rock when the door to the flat creaked open. Pulling her hand back guiltily, Amy moved swiftly to the bedroom door and went to peek out and see who came back.

Her eyes went wide when the tall, skinny man was no one she knew. She watched from behind the crack in the door, as he pulled something from his trouser pockets and moved it around the room. There was something eerily familiar about the way he was dressed, the dark t-shirt and army fatigues niggling at something in the back of Amy's mind. Something she knew she should know but couldn't recall.

She watched as he moved about, getting closer to where she was, his eyes seeming to glow in the moonlight as they searched and landed on her.

His teeth were visible as his grin stretched, wide and crazed, and Amy wanted to scream but found she had no voice left.

Then the man's head was thrown back, something fell to the floor, and the man was guided to the wall beside the door way with a thud. Someone shorter than the man was pressed up behind him, and the two seemed to struggle with grunts and cries. Amy opened the door a bit wider, making out Rose coming in from the building corridor and darting to where the two others struggled.

She grabbed the man by the throat, the other one letting go, and she slammed him hard enough into the wall that he went limp in her grip. She let go, and he fell to the floor in a clump.

"Daddy?" Olivia cried out, terror in her little voice, and Amy spun around to see her wide awake and nearly in tears.

"I'm here, Sweetheart." Tim replied, and as he stepped into the light from the room it became obvious that it was him who stopped the other guy. He ran to Olivia's side, scooped her up and held her close. "Rose?" He called out as Olivia buried her head in her Daddy's shirt.

"Out cold," Rose said evenly. "Got anything I can …."

"Twenty-first century cable ties in the linen closet." He called back. With a shrug he added, "I'm a bit old fashioned."

"Need a hand," Amy asked Rose, flicking on the overhead light.

"Could use a hand in getting him tied up." Rose replied as she went for the closet Tim indicated.

Amy knelt down, taking the rail thin man's arms and pulling them behind his back. "He's got something on his wrist. Looks like a bigger version of those watch-things the Doctor showed us."

"That would be his vortex manipulator." Rose replied, finding the ties. She came back and knelt down beside Amy, putting a tie tightly around one wrist and then another around the next, looping them together. She then removed the manipulator, looking it over, but not saying anything.

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Tim asked as he came out of Olivia's room, looking down at Amy. She shook her head. "Good. Rose, how long before he wakes up?"

"No idea." Rose replied flatly. "Just know I didn't kill him." She looked up as the Doctor and Rory barged into the room. "Took the pair of you long enough."

"Elevator." Rory panted. "Wouldn't come. Had to run. Fifteen flights of stairs."

Amy stood, moved to comfort him, and curled her nose as she got closer. "Oi, you stink."

Rory looked at her incredulously. "Sorry," he said, his breathing a bit steadier now. "Next time I'll try not to sweat so much."

She smiled, kissing him despite the stink and the sweat, holding on to him like she wasn't terrified only moments before.

"I recognize these clothes." The Doctor said darkly, jaw set and teeth gritting. "Recognize them, Tim?" He asked.

Tim frowned, looking at the man with disdain. "No. Not really."

"Rose?" The Doctor asked, and she shook her head. "Amy, Rory, one of you lot must recognize the uniform. You've all encountered it at one point or another." He said, getting to his feet, pacing about the room erratically. "A menace that seems to be poking about our lives for one reason or another, putting us all to sleep in a dream state or attempting to put me in a bloody box!"

Amy's heart dropped into her stomach. "Miss Smith."

"Yes, bloody Miss Smith." The Doctor growled. " _She_ is involved in this."

"She was right," Tim said, having gone pale at the Doctor's declaration of who was involved. "She really is every when. We might never be truly rid of her."

"So there is an end to this madness?" The Doctor said with exasperation and bitterness, throwing his hands in the air before letting them drop to his side. "What does she want, Tim? Why is she doing this?"

"It's been over thirty years since I've had to deal with anything involving that psycho bitch, do you really think I remember all the little details?" He countered. "I remember the big details, as shitty as that is, and those I can't tell you. But what I do know is is that bastard was here, and he was going after Livie, and I want to goddamn know why!" Tim moved up to the man and gave him a cracking slap across the thing man's face. He came back to consciousness with a start, eyes wide and looking about in panic before he looked at Tim. "What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

 

The man smiled wide, crazed with a eerie glint in his eye, and chuckled. "I remember you." He said, looking Tim over. "Remember seeing you pass out first." He looked to Rose with an awe that made a shiver rush down her spin. "And I remember you." He said reverently. "Remember you being the last one before the Doctor to lose consciousness. I remember you from the pandorica, too, oh so long ago. Watching you with all that power. She was so mesmerized by you. You transfixed her nearly as much as the Doctor had. She can't understand how he managed to find such a loyal defender." He said all this as if he would irrupt into giggles at any moment.

"And who is She?" The Doctor asked carefully.

"Oh, she doesn't want us to know he name." He said with a shake of his head. "Least not us little lowlifes. Only the uppers know her name. She sends us to do the work."

"Like kidnapping children and killing them with her experiments?" Rose asked him, and the man's smile dropped instantly.

"Oh, She has found what she is looking for, yes. She has. But see, I noticed something on my scanner, something I thought might get me into Her good graces. Doesn't know me, see, she only calls me 'you'. Wanted to impress Her, I did. Wanted to bring her one last child to test." His mouth split into a wide grin, and Rose was certain he was half made. "Wanted to bring her a child that I knew'd cause the Doctor terrible, terrible pain if he were to lose her."

"My kid?" Tim said threateningly.

The man nodded.

"It's because the scanner said she had …."

"I don't care," The Doctor bit out, "what the scanner said Olivia has, or doesn't have, or why you thought it best my companion's child should be part of your mistress's disgusting experiments but you have miscalculated on one thing. And that thing is that it doesn't matter if I know the child or not, any loss of life causes me pain. You and She have already done an excellent job inducing it, so humor me and tell me what she wants? Why's she taking children?" The Doctor demanded, but the man simply continued to smile.

Rose watched him, waiting, wondering if maybe he would break and tell the Doctor the answer to his question.

But there was something that the Doctor and the others seemed to overlook, something that planted a seed of pure dread in her chest.

"You said She found what she was looking for." Rose said slowly. "What was she looking for?"

"A weapon," he replied with glee. "A weapon that would break the Doctor's heart before she killed him." He giggled. "She will make him feel the same pain She has carried all her many years."

"Well," The Doctor said with a put on grin as he stalked toward the man. "I can send you back to your mistress using the return feature on your manipulator, and you can tell her I'd like a word. I would like to know what I have done to wrong."

"You can't." He laughed. "The manipulator has been DNA rigged. Can't be stolen, can't function once I'm dead. And you broke the poison capsule in my jaw. I can taste it, like bad wine and cinnamon, feel it burning in my veins, making my brain go numb." He giggled. "Can you find her, Doctor? Can you find her before it's all too late?" He laughed, pupils dilating more and more before finally the laughter stopped, and the man froze with a wide grin.

The room remained quiet except for a very gentle snore coming from Olivia's room.

"I'm surprised she slept through that." Rory commented.

"Put her to sleep telepathically after she calmed down, made her think of the bunnies in the zoo." Tim replied, looking over to the Doctor with a shrug. "Dad skills."

"What are we gonna do with him?" Amy asked, gesturing to the corpse in the living room.

The Doctor bent down, pulled his sonic out of his trouser pocket, and hovered it over the manipulator. A moment later, in a bright flash, the corpse was gone.

"Let Her deal with it." He said bitterly. "Erased his last known coordinates and sent him back to his home location."

Tim moved to the scanner dropped on the floor, picked it up, and headed to the kitchen. Rose watched as he opened a little compartment, dropped it in, shut it, and pressed a few buttons. There was an awful crunching and grinding sound, then it stopped. "Data deleted, and tracking on it gone." Tim said as he brushed his hands together. "And that way I know you can't get nosy about what he found either." He said pointedly to the Doctor.

"And what would I have found?" The Time Lord countered with a smug grin.

"None of your damn business, that's what." Tim retorted, smirking a bit as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So what's going to happen now?"

The Doctor eyed him over. "No chance you're going to tell me how it's been thirty years since your last encounter with this woman and yet you don't look like you've even hit your thirties yet?" he asked.

"No." Tim asked. "And before you even ask, Rose won't tell you either. So what's going to happen now?"

"Now," The Doctor said, looking back to where the TARDIS remained parked in the corner of the living room. "I will make sure the children that survived will be drained of the particles, then bring them home. And what about you? Now that you're going to sleep tonight?"

"Not sure I will." Tim replied. "Ever again. She may not be stealing kids anymore, but …."

"We'll stay tonight." Rose reassured. "So you can rest knowing someone's out here just in case."

Tim nodded, slumping against the wall. He looked like there were a dozen different things he wanted to say, but sighed instead, closing his eyes, and looking all the world like he could fall asleep right there.

* * *

 

It took about three full days for the last of the children to be huon free and ready to be returned to their parents. It was also the only time in Rose's very long life she ever knocked on someone's door and ran away. Worth it, though to hear the cries of pure joy from around the corner. New stories of kidnappings and subsequent deaths of the children were soon replaced by happy endings of families reunited. And in those three days, calm and peace seemed to return globally, and there were no longer any signs that more were going to be taken.

And Tim slept, something Rose was grateful for, as she and Amy took turns or sometimes even caring for Olivia together while the Doctor and Rory ensured the health of their patients.

"So where are you all heading off to next?" Tim asked the morning after the last of the children were returned. "Apalapucia is gorgeous this time of year."

"It is," The Doctor agreed. "But I'm not sure that's where we'll be heading, though. Could be Apalapucia, could be Asgard, could be someplace beginning with Z. Who knows, Timothy, where our travels or the TARDIS will take us, but I do know this: where ever it will be, it will be fantastic. And you, little one," The Doctor turned his attention from father to daughter. "Take good care of your ol' Dad, yeah? Because he's been through a lot, and I think he's going to need you more than ever. Got that, yeah?"

Olivia giggled and nodded, making the Doctor grin before he stepped inside the TARDIS and waved.

"Maybe one day we'll meet when there isn't some sort of danger lurking about." Amy said to Tim with a grin.

He smiled sadly. "Maybe," He said unconvincingly, though Amy merely gave him a hug and followed the Doctor inside.

Before Rory could follow after giving Tim a brief wave, the latter reached out and stopped him. "If you need to talk to someone ever, call me." Tim said, slipping Rory a piece of paper.

"Right, okay." Rory said, looking at the paper oddly before offering Tim a smile and heading inside.

"And one day, you're gonna stop being all mysterious with all the things you know of our futures." Rose teased.

"One day." Tim agreed. "Thanks for coming, Wolf Girl."

"Always," She said, giving him a hug before stepping inside he TARDIS. She stopped in the door way, looked down to Olivia, and smiled. "Can't wait to meet you."

"Bye Gram," She mouthed with a little wave, and Rose closed the door.

"I don't know about you lot, but I could use a break." The Doctor declared just before throwing the dematerializaton switch. "Resort planet, with a spa, mostly for you all because I hate spas, but you'd enjoy them. And then, I think, on to our next adventure."

"Spa sounds great," Amy concluded. "Think I'm gonna go pack."

"I'll help." Rory said promptly, moving swiftly to follow his wife from the room.

The Doctor stared after them, hunched over the console looking utterly solemn.

"You think you figured out what's wrong with Amy," Rose realized what the confusion and frustration coming from her husband meant.

"Yes." He said. "But I don't know enough about it to properly fix what needs fixing. And worse, I think I know why she was singled out."

Rose came up to him, looping her arm around his waist as she ducked under one of his propped arms to be closer to him. "Why's that?" She asked.

He looked at her, his overly expressive eyes shining sadly. "Because Amy, proper Amy, _is_ pregnant."

* * *

 

The first TARDIS had barely left the living room when the second started materializing. Tim rolled his eyes, tempted to say something along the lines of his home not being a parking garage, but thought better of it.

When the Time Ship had solidly landed, the doors swung open, and a silver haired man poked his head out and smiled down at Olivia. "Livie!" His thick, Scottish accent greeted before he stepped out with arms open for her.

"Granddad!" She exclaimed excitedly, despite having seen a version of him not five minutes before. But Tim understood that he may have been the Doctor, but it wasn't _her_ Doctor. Not her Granddad.

Rose stepped out a moment later, smiling warmly as the Doctor lifted their granddaughter off the ground. Older Rose had curls to her hair, and did in fact look a a bit older than she had before, though not by much. In a simple dress, if spoke of how quiet their lives were for them at the moment. The Doctor, of course was always in that red lined jacket, so Tim could never discern what their lives were like but his wardrobe choices.

"How's your friend, Malcolm?" The Doctor asked Olivia as he carried her toward the TARDIS. "He feeling better."

"Yes." Olivia said, and started telling him all about it even though she knew he knew.

"We remembered." Rose explained as Olivia's voice faded inside the Time Ship. "Thought after young us left we'd come by and see if you need us. Or just need a little more time to recover."

"Thanks." Tim sighed. "But you know what we could both us? A trip. Think we can swing by and see Donna and Shawn?"

"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Rose replied opening her arm to him, and Tim gladly accepted.

He may not have been with Jenny, but this was still his family.


	25. The Rebel Flesh pt 1

The mattress decompressed beside her, and Rose rolled over in the dimly lit room to see the Doctor laying back. His eyes were closed, hand on his forehead pushing hair from his tired face. He was, to her great surprise, stripped down to his pants and a thin t-shirt.

Scooting closer, she replaced his hand against his hair with her own, carding her fingers through the flopping locks the same way he liked even back when it was gravity defying.

He sighed, tension leaving him, and he snaked an arm around her to hold her closer. "Sorry I woke you." He mumbled.

"Wasn't really asleep," She replied. "Have any luck?"

"No," He said softly, cracking his weary eyes open a tiny bit. "Finding the location of living matter is easy, but its earliest form, when it still needed a signal from a host, that's actually harder to determine than I thought." He sighed. "I think I've found one, but I haven't slept for weeks."

Rose paused her in her carding, chastising him with his proper name.

"I know." He relented. "But it's already been a time. She's Amy, she's still spunky and unafraid, but there are signs, subtle ones, that her proper form is too far along. I'm worried we may not make it there in time, and who knows what's going to happen to Amy and the little one?"

He was doing his best to put on a neutral face, but the genuine fear and heartache of the situation was trickling through their bond.

Withdrawing her hand from his hair, she wrapped her arms around him as best she could and held him. His skin was cooler than normal, making her muscles twitch just slightly as her legs looped over his and the patch of exposed skin on her abdomen cam in contact with a patch of his.

"You're doing all you can." She reminded him. "We will find them, and when we do we'll do everything we can to get her and the baby back. Get some rest, Love, and when we wake, we'll check out this possible lead you've found."

"That simple, is it?" He said with a tiny grin.

"Well, 's us, so probably not. But simple has never been a priority, has it?" She teased. "Worried more about you right now, though. Never seen you go so long without sleep."

"Never did see what I was like in my ninth life." He commented.

"Oh, explains the moods swings, then." She grinned with her tongue between her teeth.

He stared at it. "Lost a significant amount of sleep thinking of that, too." He commented.

"Did you?"

He grinned, then leaned in and kissed her. "Think I'm about to lose just a bit more." He said as he pulled her over him.

Rose chuckled, kissing him again until she found his mind pull back and his lips go slack. She sat back on her heels from how she straddled his waist, grinning amusedly down at the passed out Time Lord beneath her.

"I'll try not to take that too personally." She told his sleeping form, to which he replied with a light snore.

Shaking her head, Rose gently moved herself back over to her side of the bed, laying down as close to the Doctor as she could, barely daring to rest her head on his chest.

Slowly, to the TARDIS's hum and the thrum of his hearts beating, Rose fell asleep.

* * *

 

The Doctor was studying the console when Rose found him in the morning. He wasn't fully dressed, almost like he'd woken up, put on enough clothes to be decent, but didn't bother beyond that. His tweed jacket was draped over the jumpseat, his bow-tie a strip of cloth around his neck. His bracers were hanging at his sides, and he hadn't bothered with his waistcoat.

He was a disheveled, handsome mess, and Rose went to his side to help straighten him out. He gave her a nervous smile. "I think I found the earliest point, but I might need to check it out up close." He said as she took his bracers and put them over his shoulders. "Problem is, not sure the Ponds should be there. I … I don't know how Amy will react to knowing she's been channeled into a separate entity."

"Well," Rose said as she moved to his bow-tie, tying it up as she considered what could happen. "How about we drop you off, tell them that you're going to a planet that's not the best for humans, and I would even suffer while there, and we go somewhere else. Or wait in the TARDIS." She suggested as she smoothed out the bow-tie.

The Doctor smiled at her lovingly. "Yes, of course." He said as he stroked her cheeks. "And I suppose this avoidance of an adventure is your way of telling me you're not best impressed with my falling asleep as we were about to …."

She smacked him gently on the chest, causing him to chuckle.

"Was happier you were sleeping. Running yourself ragged, you are. And I think we both know that once you figure this all out you won't stop until …."

"We're outta tea." Amy declared, her voice cutting Rose off with a shot of cold fear for nearly being caught out. "Gotta stop off somewhere." Amy added, stopping a few feet away from them and looking between them.

"Tea," The Doctor said incredulously. "You're … tea?"

"Tea, yes." Amy said, staring at him. "That beverage you enjoy so bloody much with your jammie-dodgers and custard creams."

"Right." The Doctor said, his thoughts flying faster than Rose could keep up with. She caught snippets: the word "tea" repeated, the excuse of sending the Ponds shopping, something about fish and chips.

Before he could open his mouth to let loose one of the many excuses he had, the TARDIS alarms went off, and the Time Ship's panic shot through to Rose before the whole ship shook.

"What the bloody hell is going?" Rose asked, barely managing to grab the edge of the console.

"Solar Tsunami. Remember what I was saying earlier, we were hovering in orbit around the location." The Doctor replied.

"Which was?" Rose asked before another violent shake.

"Earth."

"Rose, Doctor, Amy!" Rory called from the corridor, and Rose glimpsed him being tossed about in the corridor and trying to find anything he could grab hold of to steady himself.

The Doctor tried to throw the dematerialization switch, and found it did nothing. Rose tried a couple levers and knobs, but nothing seemed to help.

"Crash landing!" The Doctor called out. "Down to the floor."

Amy and Rory did as they were told, covering their heads. The Doctor stepped over to Rose, arms around her as they gripped the console edge. Bracing themselves, they waited until the last of the tremors finished before daring to move.

Muscles relaxing after being braced for the worst, Rose slowly straightened up.

"There, textbook landing." The Doctor said behind her.

"For you, maybe." She grumbled as she straightened. "You two alright?" Rose asked, stepping under the Doctor's arm to check on their companions.

"Bit shaken up." Rory said as he got back up on his wobbly feet. "Sorta glad I had a light breakfast. Have we really landed?"

"Yes," The Doctor said. "That last bit of shaking was the TARDIS making it down to Earth."

"Well, shall we see where we landed?" Amy asked as Rory helped her to her feet. She moved as if she expected it to be a lot more difficult than it was, arching her back. "Maybe they'll have a little shop where we can grab some tea."

"Only one way to know." The Doctor said, grabbing his jacket and darting for the door.

Rose followed, already wearing her favorite jacket with her typical outfit of jeans and a jumper with boots. She nearly collided with her husband as she stopped just outside the TARDIS doors, staring up at the ancient building.

"Behold! A cockerel! Love a cockerel." He declared as Rory and Amy stepped out behind them. "And, underneath, a monastery, 13th century."

"Don't have a good rep with monasteries." Rose said as she put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, well, you didn't dress quiet so reservedly in your fifties." The Doctor commented. "Took a bit after your mother on that one." He added, earning him a slap on the chest.

"So medieval this go," Amy commented.

"I'm not sure about that." Rory countered.

"Medieval expert, are you?" She asked him, folding her arms and looking at her husband expectantly.

"No, it's just that I can hear Dusty Springfield." He commented, gesturing toward the monastery.

Rose strained to listen, catching the rifts of a song faintly in the air. "Suppose you can. Guess we follow the sound, eh?" She said, though the Doctor was already starting to move away.

While the logical move would have been to the small set of stairs leading into the monastery, he stopped at the fairly large hole in the ground between those stairs and the TARDIS. Rose noted the pipe with the "DANGER - CORROSIVE" written on the side, her insides twisting at the thought of what it could be.

"These fissures are new. The solar tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. This was caused by a magnetic quake that occurred just before the wave hit." The Doctor explained gesturing to the one before them and a few spots that looked about the same not very far off.

"Well, the monastery's standing." Amy said, looking to the plus side.

"For now," The Doctor acknowledge.

"And these magnetic quakes? Something we'll have to worry about happening again?" Rory asked.

"Likely. Entirely likely." The Doctor said with a nod, squinting up at Rory.

"So perhaps we should move away from the exposed pipe with something corrosive inside?" He suggested.

"Yes, excellent idea, Rory. Though inside might not be much better, mind. But still, inside we should go. Satisfy our rabid curiosity." The Doctor said, standing up and heading toward the wooden stair case Rose thought he was going to before.

Amy followed immediately, but Rory lingered a moment, looking up at the monastery with a twinge of heartache. Rose waited, and he seemed to suddenly realize it. "My Mum was a massive fan of Dusty Springfield." He admitted.

"Mine hated her." Rose, said, shrugging. "But can't listen to Genesis for anything after Mum …."

"Yeah," Rory said with a heavy sigh. He then gestured for them to follow their spouses, and Rose nodded, walking close to Rory until the stairs wouldn't allow them to.

Beyond the wall was the monastery courtyard, and it was easy to see why the Doctor's "for now" was more than an accurate response. There was already significant damage to many of the buildings, some being no more than ruins. It surprised Rose that any one dared play music loud enough to be heard outside simply for the fear that the vibrations would cause more of the structure to crumble.

The Doctor was scanning the area with his sonic, Amy looking around the ancient building.

" _This is it,"_ The Doctor said over the bond. " _We're here._ "

" _How're we gonna find anything out?"_ Rose asked as he headed toward the next set of wooden stairs. She, Amy, and Rory followed.

" _How we usually do: lie about who we are._ " He replied, through their bond, pausing at the top of the stairs and waiting for the rest of them to catch up. Rose was nearly beside him when she heard Rory cry out behind her.

She whipped around, expecting to see some form of danger, only to find Rory shaking his hand vigorously.

"What happened?" She asked as Amy took Rory's injured hand and looked at it.

"Hand touched the pipe," Rory pointed over his shoulder, the various curses he didn't say dancing in his eyes.

"Acid." The Doctor said, sounding almost dismissive. "They're pumping acid off this island. That's old stuff. Fresh acid? You wouldn't have a finger."

"What the bloody hell would a monastery need to pump acid out for? And where the bloody hell would they ship it off to?" Rose asked.

The Doctor smirked. "Language, Ms Tyler. You are in, for all intents and purposes, a church."

"Faced the devil already, not sure I can get much worse for swearing in a religious place." She countered with a small smirk of her own.

Before the Doctor could go into his normal, long explanation of acid uses and the like, and alarm went off from inside the monastery. A computerized voice declared the presence of intruders, and the four of them looked to one another.

"There are people coming." The Doctor mused with glee for a moment before sobering. "Well, almost."

"Almost coming?" Amy asked.

"Almost people." The Doctor countered before turning and heading inside.

Rose followed, catching that Amy had to go back for Rory a moment but they soon caught up.

The Doctor lead the way, tracing something with his sonic, checking occasionally over his shoulder to ensure everyone was close by. Up a set of spiral stairs, he lead them into a mostly empty looking room where something that looked like a table from a mad-scientist's lab were placed in front of the deep set windows on a tilt. In three of the four of these strange, grated, human shaped contraptions was a human. Eyes closed, dressed in an orange jump suit that reminded Rose of a prisoner's kit, the sight of them made the hairs on the back of Rose's neck stand on end as she balled her hands into fists.

"What are all these harnesses for?" Amy asked, keeping near Rory but looking about.

"Uh, the almost people?" Rory guessed.

"What are they, prisoners? Or are they meditating, or what?" Amy asked, tugging on the Doctor's arm to get his attention.

"Well, at the moment, they fall into the 'or what' category." He replied.

"Not comforting, Doctor." Rose snapped.

"Wasn't meant to be, Sweetheart." He said back, a touch of gruffness in his voice likely mirrored from the one in hers.

"Halt and remain calm." A computerized voice echoed into the room.

"Well, we've halted. How are you doing on the calm front? Already know Rose is wired up." The Doctor quipped with a weak grin as footsteps came from the stair way.

Rose placed herself between the Doctor and who ever was coming, instinctively knowing that Rory and Amy were already behind him. She watched as people emerged the way the came up. Two guys, and a small girl who reminded Rose a bit of her daughter. Maybe … maybe possibly an older version of … someone. A girl like Jenny but with dark hair and eyes like her first Doctor's. Or maybe someone else? Rose couldn't quite place her finger on it, and trying was giving her a headache.

On either side of her, the men held spear like things pointed toward her. Dark hair to the left, probably in his forties, blond to the right, no older than thirty.

"Don't move," the blond one commanded, his accent sounding quite a bit like Amy's.

The men crept forward slowly, the girl looking all the world like a terrified child.

"Stay back, Jen. We don't know who they are." The dark haired one said, and Rose's heart lurched for a moment.

"So let's ask them." Jen replied, and her accent felt like enough to ease the worry that Rose was looking at her daughter regenerated. "Who the hell are you?" The girl asked, her fear fading.

"Well, I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose, and Amy, and Rory, and it's all very nice, isn't it?" The Doctor said, clapping his hands behind Rose before putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Hold up," Amy's voice came from behind, though Rose couldn't pull her eyes away from the weapons pointed at them. "You're all … what are you all, like, identical twins?" She asked.

Rose fleetingly glanced about, noting the two men were identical to two of the men in the harness things.

" _They're living matter."_ The Doctor told her privately, his voice stronger with his thumbs against her neck. " _These are almost people._ "

"This is an Alpha-grade industrial facility. Unless you work for the military or Morpeth Jetson, you are in big trouble." Another woman, this one without an accent, said as she came toward them wearing something that looked a lot like a space suit. She had another man with her, one likely in between the ages of the other two, while she herself was clearly not only in charge but the oldest. She had a cold stare that made Rose's fight instincts tingle a touch more.

"Actually, you're in big trouble." The Doctor said as he stepped out from behind Rose. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the psychic paper, opening the bill fold and showing it to the lady in charge.

She frowned, bordering on scoffing, as she took the paper and examined it. "Meteorological department, since when?"

"Since you were hit by a solar wave." The Doctor countered.

"Which we survived." She practically shrugged off.

" _Just_ , by the look of it." The Doctor gestured around. "And there's a bigger one on the way."

"Which we'll also survive." She stated before looking at the man at her side. "Dicken, scan for bugs."

"Arrogant, you are." Rose commented as she, the Doctor, and the Ponds backed up toward the wall while the man named Dicken came toward them with a scanner.

"Wouldn't say that," The woman replied. "Just making sure we don't have any trespassers coming through here."

"Get that a lot?" Rose countered.

"Army owned factory, Rose." The Doctor explained. "Bound to have people coming through here. 22nd century, people are getting more antsy as politics and the like start falling apart. No one trusts anyone, least of all the military."

"You're army?" Amy asked the woman with a disbelief.

"No, love, we're contractors." She countered, glancing between them and the psychic paper.

"It's okay, boss." Dicken said as he finished his scan.

Rose noted the disappointment that flashed over the woman's face at the news, but thought it best to keep it to herself for the time being.

"Alright, weatherman, your ID checks out." She said extending the psychic paper toward the Doctor who stepped forward and took it. "If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it? Hand out sunblock?" She mocked, her lips curling slightly into a grin.

The Doctor forced a laugh. "I need to see your critical systems." He said as he pocketed the paper.

"Which one?" The woman asked him suspiciously.

The Doctor's face grew serious. "You know which one," He said with meaning.

She nodded once. "Let us get out of these acid suits." She said, reaching up and removing her helmet, Dicken doing the same. Once they were both stripped of the suits, the woman turned, and beckoned for them to follow her. Rose heard the shuffle of more than just the Ponds, and glanced to see the whole lot of them were following, though now the spears were being propped against a door as the passed into the next room.

Inside was a slight bit smaller than the other room, but that could easily be due to the large, white vat of something bubbling, and the smaller tub like thing attached to it by tubbing. Rose stayed close to the Doctor as they walked into the room, eyeing the substance while sharing in his awe and wonder.

"And there you are." He mumbled out loud, running his hand over the edge of the vat.

"Meet the government's worst kept secret: the flesh." The leader said as she looked to each of them. "It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at a cellular level." She said with near disinterest and absolutely no concern.

"Right. Brilliant." Amy nodded along before admitting. "Lost."

"Okay," The woman said, looking at Amy with an insult just behind her eyes. Rose took a deep breath, forcing herself not to say anything. "Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything, replicate a living organism down to the hairs on its chinny-chin-chin." She mocked, looking them over. "Even clothes. Everything's identical: eyes, voice."

"Mind, soul," The Doctor interjected as if he was only half paying attention to what he was doing as he leaned on the edge of the vat, hands folded thoughtfully.

"Don't be fooled, Doctor. It acts like life, but it still needs to be controlled by us from those harnesses you saw." The woman mocked.

"Wait," Rory said, turning toward her. "So … you're flesh now?" he said, gesturing to the woman in an up and down motion.

She smirked, maybe taking Rory's movements as a flirt. "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber." She said, gesturing to the door they just came through. "We all are, except Jennifer here. Don't be scared. This thing? Just like operating a forklift truck."

"Controlling another living thing is like operating a truck?" Rose asked, arching a brow.

"It's living, yes, but it has no mind of its own. Without our connection to it, it is nothing more then, well, sorta like moss."

"Like moss?" Rose repeated incredulously. "Right, okay." She couldn't believe the gall, and while there was so much she wanted to say on the subject, including insulting the woman's current form, she held back. Amy was, after all, flesh. Who knew how she would react after she found out and they got the proper her back. Their friendship was solid, and if Amy thought that maybe the whole thing was a product of the flesh they may go right back to square one.

"The acid is so dangerous, we were losing a worker every week." The woman reasoned. "So now we mine the acid using these dopplegangers, or 'gangers'. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid …."

"Then who he hell cares, right, Jen?" Said the man with the dark hair who had been protecting her before. It seemed as if that protectiveness was only temporary, and now that the immediate danger passed she was on her own.

She looked puzzled and a little terrified, looking at the man and then to the time travelers while ringing her hands.

"Well," She said, "the nerve endings automatically cut off. Like airbags being discharged. Except, we wake up and get a new ganger." She explained as if trying to counter an unmade accusation.

Rose glanced at the dark haired guy, but seen no real animosity coming from him. Perhaps just a minor tiff from before their arrival.

As the other man and the woman were speaking, Rose noticed her husband leaning toward the vat at the same time a slight tickle in her mind was abruptly cut off before it started. The Doctor looked as if he was listening to the liquid flesh, and then hurriedly dug into his pocket for his sonic. He pulled it out, scanning the flesh before him.

"What's he up to?" The dark-haired man called out. "What are you up to, pal?"

"Doctor?" Rose asked as it looked as if he was having a hard time pulling his arm back.

"Stop it," he said to the vat. He groaned as he managed to pull his arm back, the force sending it upward. He rubbed at his shoulder. "Strange." He panted. "For a moment there, it was like it was scanning me." He tucked his sonic away then hesitantly reached a hand out toward the liquid flesh. His hand was shaking, and he looked as if he were straining to pull away as the woman protested he stop. With a few grunts of pain, he finally managed to pull away. Breathing heavily, he stared at the vat in wonder. "I understand," he said, slowly opening his bond back up to Rose.

"What happened?" She asked him as a lot of gibberish flitted through her mind.

"I felt it in my mind," He replied, pushing his hair off his forehead. "I reached out to it, and it to me. You have no idea. No idea." He shook his head as he glanced at the woman who was running the show.

"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor." She warned.

"How can you be so blinkered?" He asked. "It's alive, so alive! You're piling your lives, your personalities directly into it."

Rose looked at the liquid in the vat, and some of that gibberish made sense. The flesh was overwhelmed, filled beyond what it ever should be of human life and no way to actually do anything with it. If she strained, Rose could almost sense it at the edge of her mind.

Before she could experiment with that link, a flicker of lightning and a crash of thunder sounded just outside the monastery, and Rose looked about the room at all the electrical equipment.

"Twenty-second century, you said? Not that far advanced when it comes to safe proofing against lightning. Probably wise to get out of the room filled with electrical equipment, yeah? Especially seeing as how we're in an old building."

"Right you are, Sweetheart, but it's not the lightning you have to worry about." The Doctor said just as the ground, and therefore the building, shook. "It's the solar storm."

"How so?" Amy asked, the panic evident in her voice as she clutched at her abdomen.

"The first waves comes in pairs: pre-shock then full shock." The Doctor explained. "It's close."

"Buzz, have we got anything from the mainland yet?" The woman asked, unconcerned.

"No comms are still too jammed with radiation." The dark hair man said.

"Okay, then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop. Now, Doctor, Sweetheart." The woman said mockingly. "Why don't you and your interns stand back and let us impress you."

The tub portion slowly began to fill with liquid from the vat, and the Doctor and Rose moved to stand opposite of Amy and Rory at the sides of it. As the liquid levels rose, strings of matter began to form that looks like long, loose threads or dark strands of hair. More and more floated to the surface when the liquid stopped flowing, the stillness of the substance eerie in a way Rose couldn't explain. Slowly, the liquid pulled back as if it were draining, but a silhouette of a human remained. A mouth opened, goo strands sticking together where lips should be. Nostrils came next, and the mouth moved as if to gasp for air. Eyes came neck, and they opened to look like something reptilian. The face, as it came to form, looked sort of aquatic. A moment later, it looked as if it were trying to Jen, then as it sat up with a gasp it was Jen.

Rose was mildly embarrassed by how, as the Doctor jumped back, she did so as well and stood in front of him. That was, however, until she noticed nearly everyone else also jumped back a bit.

"Well," The Doctor said behind her. "I can see why you keep it in a church. The miracle of life."

"Please tell me this was _not_ how your Jenny was formed?" Amy asked.

"There would have had to have been an original Jenny for it to happen like that." The Doctor replied, a worried edge to his tone.

"Guys, we need to get to work." The woman declared, and the blond man from earlier came over to the newly formed Jen and got her out of the tub.

"Okay, everybody. Let's crack on." He said as he heaved her out.

"Did I mention the solar storm?" The Doctor said as if the whole lot were idiots. A flash of lightning paired with a crash of thunder that shook the building punctuated his sentence. "You need to get out of here."

"Well where do you want us to go?" The blond man asked. "We're on a tiny island."

"We can get you all off it." The Doctor reassured.

"Don't be ridiculous, we've got a job to do." The woman scoffed.

"And you're risking your lives for it." Rose countered.

"Now you see why we use the gangers, Sweetheart." The woman mocked.

"More than just your lives as gangers, your proper lives you bleeding idiot. You're in an ancient building, one that's crumbling already, and you're harvesting, or mining, or whatever, a corrosive substance. May not have gotten my A levels, but I'm helluva lot more clever than you are if you're thinking it's worth sticking around this place."

"She's right, boss." The blond noted. "If the storm comes back we should at least be underground. The factory's seen better days, and the acid pipes might not withstand another hit."

The woman looked at him over her shoulder. "We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out. We fall behind, we stay another rotation, anyone want that?"

"Please," The Doctor said as an alarm started going off. He took the woman's arm and pulled her aside, whispering to her low enough that Rose couldn't hear. He looked serious, if not a touch desperate, and while she didn't seem to look as high and mighty as she had before she pulled away from him nonetheless.

She moved to a control on the tub where the Jen ganger came out, pointedly ignoring the Doctor and the alarms.

"I need to check the progress of the storm," The Doctor said, snapping his fingers at a hesitant looking Jen. "Monitoring station." He repeated more urgently.

"Three lefts, a right, and a left. Third door on your left." Jen replied.

The Doctor gave her a thumbs up, and a small grin. "Thank you." He said, taking Rose's hand before pulling her from the room at a run. He followed Jen's instructions, bringing them into a small, circular room where there were about four computers in the middle, also formed in a circle. Smoke rose from the middle, and Rose could smell the burning of wires in the air even before the sparks started.

"Wave's disturbing the Earth's magnetic field," he started in a panic as he let go of her hand and went for one of the monitors. Rose followed, taking up the one next to him. On the surface, she didn't quite understand what she was seeing even with the Doctor's ramblings. But the more she stared the more she understood the rising levels of power and how dangerously overloaded the circuits were. She grasped that it was only going to get worse with the way the solar flares were over working the panels.

"Amy, breathe." She heard the Doctor say before he was out the door.

"Yeah, I mean, thanks. I'll try." She said, unsure what was happening as much as Rose.

"You two don't go far, and stay together." Rose instructed as she darted past them and followed the direction she was sure her husband would take.

She caught sight of him once she got up to the battlement, noting he was already heading for the ladder leading up the massive weather vane.

" _Would you wait for me?"_ She asked as she ran full tilt to catch up to him.

" _Can't. Flares are coming in fast, and we can't have this place going up._ "

She paused a moment as a massive shock hit her hand, causing her intense pain. Rose barely caught her breath before she realized that it didn't actually happen to her.

"Doctor!" She yelled, coming around in time to see him messing with the open electrical box. She yelled at him again, only this time through the bond and using his proper name.

Before he could think or say anything back at her, lightning struck the weather van, and the Doctor's body jolted. Rose realized after only feeling a tingle that he'd cut his bond off from her before she felt the magnitude of his pain. Which may have been for the best as he lost his grip on the latter, lost consciousness it seemed, and fell backward.

She knew she wasn't strong enough to catch him, but that didn't stop Rose from trying to anyway. The Doctor knocked her to the ground, her head slamming into the stone of the battlement, and the world went black.


	26. The Rebel Flesh pt 2

Rose woke with her head pounding. "Fantastic." She grumbled, feeling her fully formed skull and the dried blood on her hair. "Smashed my bloody skull." She grumbled more as she looked to her husband. He was out cold beside her, but unharmed except the already healing burn marks on his hand. She fished into his jacket and pulled out his sonic. Finding the right setting she hovered it over her hair. She could feel the caked strands coming apart as the dried blood was broken down to no more than dusty and fell away. She then shrugged off her jacket, inspecting the leather quickly as the chill in the air brought on by the storm consumed her instantly. There was a bit of her blood on the collar, but nothing she was really worried about.

Pulling her coat back on and adjusting it as necessary, she examined their surroundings. The sky above was golden and gorgeous in a dangerous sort of way, reminding her of the vortex. She headed to the edge of the battlement, peeking over and seeing significantly more damage to the ground and building than there had been before. She heard the grumble of the TARDIS in her mind, the indignant hum that she could almost put a human voice to as she gripped about her circumstance. She wouldn't show Rose what was wrong, only reassuring she'll get out of her mess eventually.

"Rose?" She heard the Doctor gasp out in panic behind her, a spike of fear that wasn't hers striking her in the heart. She rounded the corner, only just realizing she had put him out of her view and her out of his in return, and saw him turning about and patting himself down.

"Borrowed the sonic," She said, realizing what he was doing. The Doctor startled at her voice but as he turned toward her and with a wide grin that fell instantly. He looked over his shoulder at the blood on the stone then back to her. "I'm alright, honest." She said as she stopped in front of him.

He pulled her into a hug. "I hurt you, didn't I?"

"Well, I should know better. Might be strong, but Time Lord's are heavy and you're still quite a lot bigger than I am. Accident, is all." She assured him. "Your thick skull would've taken the impact."

"Quite right." He said as she pulled back. He gave his head a knock as if to prove a point, then he grew serious and looked around. "Can you sense it? The shift?" He asked.

"Not particularly." Rose admitted.

"It's there, in the air, the taste of it: New life." He breathed deep. "This is where it all happens, this is when it comes to be. Flesh made … flesh. Not just liquid, or gunge. Actual living, breathing life. But we need to make sure, have to insure, that the humans here accept their gangers."

"What happens if they don't?" Rose asked.

"Not sure, but I don't care to find out." The Doctor said wearily. "Not with the way Cleaves was treating them."

"Cleaves?" Rose shook her head.

"Cleaves, the leader who equated the Flesh to moss. Come on, we need to move." He said, shifting to take her hand and pulling her along.

Instead of going back inside as she expected, the Doctor took Rose down into the courtyard via the stairs leading from the battlement. He paused part way down, looking over at something, and Rose tried to follow his gaze. All she caught was a head of dark hair before the Doctor gave her hand a tug and they were heading toward it.

It was the woman, Cleaves, as Rose now knew, though she wasn't sure how the Doctor picked up on her name when she had not. Cleaves was staring out at the horizon, looking all the world bewildered.

"You're not in your harness." The Doctor stated as they came up beside her.

Cleaves looked between he and Rose. "I'm sorry. You were right, Doctor. We should have left. We've lost all power and … I abandoned my team."

"The let's go get them." He said, gesturing for her to follow them as he moved at a more human pace back inside.

" _The Flesh."_ He said through their bond as they walked.

" _What?_ " Rose frowned.

" _It's how I knew her name. When I communed with the Flesh I learned about them all. Couldn't retain all of it, but I did catch names. Names are important, it's better than calling everyone 'you'."_ He rambled. Then he paused, turning to look back at she and Cleaves with confusion. "How long would you say we were unconscious?" He asked.

"Not long. A minute, maybe two." Cleaves responded.

"I cracked my head open on the roof." Rose shrugged. "Dunno how long that puts me out for."

"And you were up and moving about before me, had time to clean up a bit before I stirred. No, not a minute or two, I'd say an hour." He fiddled with his bow-tie nervously. "A lot can go wrong in an hour."

"We should find Rory and Amy." Rose said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yes," He said, drawing the word out before continuing.

They weaved their way back up to the room where the harness things were, and Rose sighed with relief upon seeing their companions up and about, and no worse for wear.

She expected Cleaves to say something, a small word of pleasure that her crew were all safe, but she merely stood off to the side with her arms folded.

"Good to see you two made out alright." Rose said as she went to hug both Amy and Rory.

"Well, had a bit of a shock." Rory confessed. "Never believed my Gramps when he kept saying standing near a bathtub during a lightning storm was bad."

"Long as you two are fine." Rose said with a slight grin, remembering her own Grandad Prentice used to say the same thing.

"Doctor," Amy said, cutting the pleasantness of the reunion short. She seemed nervous as she shifted toward the Time Lord, glancing at the crew. "These are all real people, so where are the gangers?"

"Don't worry," Cleaves butt in. "When the link shuts down, the gangers return to pure flesh. Now, the storms left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. The can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time." She was all cold authority, ready to move about and take command.

She stopped short when Dusty Springfield echoed through the monastery hall.

" _It's starting."_ The Doctor said through the bond.

No one said anything out loud for a few refrains, then the blond man said, "That's my record. Who's playing my record?"

"Your gangers, Jimmy. They've gone walkabout." The Doctor explained quite nonchalantly given the panic Rose could see mounting on the faces of the acid miners.

"No," Cleaves said firmly. 'It's impossible. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves, and gangers don't…."

"Seems like they do, mate." Rose said evenly. "Else someone went walking about while comatose and flicked on the record. Doubt that, though."

"Listen to me, _Sweetheart,_ " Cleaves started in with a tremble in her voice.

"Rose," Rose interrupted. "Name's Rose."

"Gangers are just Flesh. Just liquid. Just …." But she stopped, the music seeming to go up in volume and silencing what ever argument she was about to make.

"Where was your record player before?" Rose asked Jimmy.

He turned to her with surprise, then blinked. "Umm, the Dining Hall. Best acoustics, there."

"It's also where all our things are." The dark haired one said.

"Well then, lead on to the dining hall." The Doctor gestured to the door.

The crew looked to one another nervously, then did exactly that.

The hall was a disaster. On the table lay the remains of a snack, half full tea cups and cookies were strewn about. A small card house stood at one end of the table, a few various other nicknack's here and there. Clothes were tossed about, lockers and storage crates emptied of their contents. The record player stopped as if to greet the lot of them while they walked in.

"No way," The dark haired one stated as he looked about.

"I don't … I don't believe this." Cleaves said as she stopped by the doorway, not seeming to dare come any further inside.

"This is just like the Isle of Sheppy," the dark haired one said as he moved toward the card house.

The Doctor moved around him, taking a spot at what appeared to be the head of the table, resting his chin on his propped upped hands as he eyed the card house. "It would seem the storm animated your gangers." He said casually.

"They've ransacked everything." Cleaves said bitterly.

"Not ransacked, searched." The Doctor corrected while Rose came around and stood next to him.

"Through our stuff?" Cleaves practically spat.

"Their stuff." The Doctor corrected again.

"Searching for what?" Jimmy asked, looking at the record player as if he wasn't sure he should touch it again.

"Confirmation." The Doctor replied. " They need to know their memories are real."

"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now?" The dark haired one said.

"Always had memories." Rose reminded him. "They were you, yeah? You have memories. Of where you grew up, who your friends are, the family you have, favorite food, how you take your tea. It's all shared with 'em, can't blame 'em for wanting to connect with all that."

"Memories from a life they stole." Cleaves half growled.

"No, bequeathed." The Doctor corrected. "Rose's right, you gave them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets, everything. How else do you think I know all your names when we never once had a proper introduction? It spoke to me. It was alive then, and now the storm has animated them. You gave them your lives, are you surprised they walked off with them?" The Doctor challenged.

There was an uncomfortable silence among the crew as they seemed to think on that.

"I'll say it again, Isle of Sheppey." The dark haired one said.

"And why do you say that, Buzzer?" The Doctor asked.

Buzzer shrugged. "Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness."

"Even if this has actually happened, they can't remain stable without us plumbed into them." Jimmy tried to reason. He turned to Cleaves, more unsure than before. "Can they, Boss?"

She chewed her lip nervously. "I guess we'll find out."

" _Got to make them see,_ " The Doctor said, his voice in Rose's mind drowning out the minor commotion in the room. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Rory helping Jen out the room just as Dicken's sneezed. She turned back to the Doctor, the question on her tongue gone as she watched him study the card house with utter fascination.

"That's me," Buzzer gestured. "It's good to have a hobby." He looked it over. "So, what, my ganger did that all on its own?"

"His own." Rose mumbled.

"Yeah, sure, his own." Buzzer replied.

"Looks like." Rose said, looking at it herself. "Never was good at these, me. Terrible, really, could never get past the second tier."

"Took time. Me granddad taught me." Buzzer said with some wistful pride.

"As did your ganger's granddad." The Doctor said, looking up at Buzzer. "You both have the same childhood memories, just as clear, just as real." He stood, looking at Cleaves, Dickens, and Jimmy in turn. He leaned on the table, accenditally knocking down the card house. He grimaced, blushed a touch, but continued as if nothing happened. "They're scared, disoriented, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads."

Amy frowned, Rose noticed, hugging herself a bit before wincing as if in pain. She straightened, glanced about the room as if nothing happened and clearly didn't notice she'd been caught.

"But … that incident on the Isle of Sheppey," Jimmy said nervously. "Never wanted to believe it, but now that we seen it's possible …."

"Was quite gruesome, it was." Dickens said with a sniff.

"We'll just have to figure out a way to turn them back to Flesh." Cleaves said as if it were a simple solution.

The Doctor sighed, pushing his hair from his forehead, and wandered to the refrigerator.

Rose nudged his mind, trying to find out what he was up to, but he waved it off mentally and soothed the brush off with a loving caress.

"You'd be willing to kill someone who looked exactly like you. You could look yourself in the eye and destroy yourself?" Rose asked.

Cleaves turned toward her, no trace of amusement in her eyes. "Do you know _how_ the operator on the Isle of Sheppey was killed?" Cleaves asked, starting with Rose but then looking at the remaining crew.

"Saw the pictures." Buzzer admitted. "Seemed like the ganger didn't want anyone to think he _wasn't_ the original. "

Jimmy seemed to pale at the thought. "We need to protect ourselves." He said.

"Are you a violent man, Jimmy?" The Doctor asked, the sounds of a microwave causing Rose to see what her husband was up to.

"No," Jimmy said as the Doctor watched a container of something that smelled suspiciously like fried rice warm up.

"Then why would the other Jimmy be?" The Doctor challenged.

This gave the crew pause. All except for Cleaves, it seemed, as she rounded and charged toward the Doctor.

"Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor." She chastised.

"You told us that we were out cold for a few minutes when, in fact, it was an hour." He stated.

"Sorry," She said slowly, like she wasn't sorry at all. "I just assumed …."

"Well, it's not your fault." The Doctor interrupted. "Like I said, they're disoriented. Amy, when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?" He asked as the microwave went off. He'd spoken quickly, making it so anyone who didn't know him so well would blow past the implication.

Rose sucked in her lips, preventing her from forming any reaction whatsoever as the Doctor took the dish out of the microwave using a tea towel.

"Um," Amy said. "Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out."

"Jennifer?" The Doctor asked, turning toward Cleaves.

"She was standing on her own when we got to her." Amy shrugged.

Without saying anything, the Doctor handed Cleaves the dish, and she took it on instinct with her bare hands. He waited, watched Cleavers as she looked thoughtfully at Amy, then finally told her, "Careful, it's hot."

Cleaves startled, looking down at the steaming dish in her hands before dropping it with a hiss. The plate shattered on the stone floor and she glared at the Doctor. "The transmatter's still a little rubbery." He said as he examined her hands. "The nerve endings are not quite fused properly."

Cleaves looked at the appendages like they'd betrayed her, then glared up at the Doctor. "What the hell are you talking about? Why didn't I feel that?"

"You will." He assured. "You'll stabilize."

"No, stop it!" Cleaves growled, and Rose moved closer on instinct. "You're playing stupid games." She turned away from the both of them, and Rose looked to see what her husband would do.

He didn't budge an inch. "You don't have to hide," he said gently. "Please, trust me."

Cleaves turned on him, and Rose moved herself between Cleaves and the Doctor on instinct. She glared at the woman before her, ready to growl but stopped at the sight of Cleaves face.

She hissed at Rose, and making her to lean back against her Doctor in reflex.

Hot shame came over her a moment later, looking at the half formed face before her and realizing that there was no was ganger Cleaves could have controlled it.

"Where's the real Cleaves?" Rose heard Buzzer yell, but she refused to look away from ganger Cleaves. She held her eye, making sure she knew that the fear and instinct to protect the Doctor didn't actually have anything to do with her being different. She wasn't sure how she could accomplish that with just a look, but she was going to try.

"We are real." Ganger Cleaves hissed as she turned away from Rose and the Doctor. "We are living!"

Before Rose could react, ganger Cleaves shoved her out of the way and charged from the room.

"Doctor, what happened to her?" Amy asked, breathing as though she was just as startled by Cleaves.

"Early Flesh," He said clasping Rose's shoulders and squeezing before stepping around her to the crew. He continued, hands flailing about as he explained. "Early stages of the technology. She can't stabilize, shifting between half-formed and full-formed. For now, at least. So much to learn."

"And we should just let her go?" Buzzer asked.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. "Unless the Cleaves you know is murderous, you don't need to worry."

"Doctor, what about Rory?" Amy asked.

"What about Rory?" He countered, confused.

"He's not here," She sassed. "Which means he could be out there. With one of them."

"He's safe, Amy." Rose reassured.

"No, Amy's right." The Doctor said cautiously. "We don't know where he is, which means he might be with one of the gangers and he might say something … wrong." He explained.

"Hey went with Jen to the washroom." Jimmy said, moving away from Buzzer cautiously.

Rose noticed the knife Dicken's had in his hand, the tense posture the dark haired man carried, and decided she liked Jimmy leaps and bounds over the other two.

"Well, lead the way, Jimmy." The Doctor said, waving for him to do just that. He grabbed a bunch of torches, handing them to each of them.

"What about us?" Dicken asked, followed by a sneeze.

"Stay where you are." The Doctor said. "If your gangers come back, don't kill them. Talk to them. You might be surprised what you might learn talking to yourself." He said with a cheerful grin before guiding Rose to follow he and Amy as they hunted down Rory with Jimmy.

Rose moved up to stand by Jimmy, walking as much ahead of him as she dared.

"You seem a bit more accepting of this than the others." Rose said quietly to him.

Jimmy looked a bit bashful as he looked everywhere but at her.

"Just think 'bout my boy, what I'd want him to do." He explained. "I try and teach him not to judge. Be a hypocrite if I didn't try me self."

"You're a Dad." She said with a grin. "Wouldn't expect it, the working being a bit hazardous and all."

Jimmy shrugged. "Do what we have to, right? Washroom's down these stairs." He said, gesturing to the upcoming doorway.

The first thing Rose saw at the bottom of the stairs was the shattered mirror, and she darted to examine the stall with the hole through it.

"Rory!" Amy cried out in panic.

"Not here, Amy. And no blood," Rose tried to reassure. "He got away."

"Got away?" She asked, the panic not quite leaving her voice.

"Of course." The Doctor sighed, moving to lean on the sinks and look at the shattered mirror. "Jennifer's a ganger, too."

"You said they wouldn't be violent." Amy snapped, moving toward him with her hands fisted.

"But I did say they were scared and angry." He straightened and turned toward her, eyes flickering to her fists. "You're scared and angry right now, and look what you're doing. You aren't violent, Amy, and look how you're reacting."

"You seem to know something about the Flesh." Jimmy said uneasily. "You're no weatherman, are you? Why are you really here?"

Rose saw the flicker of guilt in her husband's eye, then noted how he couldn't look at Amy as his mouth twists.

"Not important right now. We have to talk them." He said, suddenly bolting from the room.

"What's going on?" Jimmy asked as Rose and Amy dashed after him. He followed on their heels. "Where's the real Jennifer?"

"We'll figure it out, Jimmy," Rose assured.

They emerged at the top of the stairs, and the Doctor moved his torch about. Rose did the same, stepping just a bit ahead, investigating further into the corridor. There was a low groan, and Rose turned toward the stairs to see if maybe it was due to Jimmy or Amy.

The Doctor came toward her, frowning a bit just as Rose spotted the buckling pipe.

"No!" She said with sudden understanding, shoving the Doctor back hard enough that he collided with Jimmy and Amy just as the pipe broke.

Pain came from all sides, and if she thought it was possible to wretch, Rose would have. Even as she caught sight of her arm , she couldn't manage more than a gag before collapsing.

"Oh my god." Jimmy said, panicked. Amy started screaming.

"Let me die." Rose managed to choke out, extending her hand out for someone to grab. She felt cool hands wrap around hers and pull before she lost consciousness.

"Don't look at her." The Doctor instructed, his own voice choked up but firm. "Not until I give the okay. Umm … Jimmy, will you have an extra pair of coveralls?"

"Yeah." He said, stunned sounding.

"Good. We're going to need it." The Doctor said.

"Why?" He asked.

As he and the Doctor were chatting, Rose was gaining strength. She vaguely recalled the Vashta Nerada from the library all that time ago. How she stuck her hand in its swarm, how she regenerated her skin slowly. Forcing herself to look, she realized her arm was solidifying again, though looked as if she'd stuck in a fire and left it there. Shakily, she dragged herself just a bit further away from the puddle until she could get up on her knees. Feeling like a newborn deer, Rose struggled and wobbled to her feet, pushing hair from her face that felt significantly shorter, much like the haircut she allowed her Mom to give her at Christmas time when the Doctor just regenerated from his ninth to tenth form.

She looked down at herself, seeing her clothes were mostly destroyed.

"Well, bit more naked than one ought to be in a church." She said, her voice still strangled from pain. "Hair cut's a bit unexpected."

The Doctor shrugged off his jacket, coming up behind Her and putting it on. "We'll get you something temporary until I get to the TARDIS." He said then cleared his throat. "Alright, it's safe to look."

Amy turned immediately, Jimmy doing so much more slowly.

"Did … did you?" Amy stuttered.

"No," Rose said with a glare to the Doctor.

He put his hands up. "Couldn't do it, not with knowing you'd simply regenerate the tissue, given a few minutes. Be in less pain than if you died."

Rose looked down at her badly scarred skin. "Not so sure." She admitted. "Feel it burning terribly, and the skin looks like I walked through fire and barely survived."

"How is she alive?" Jimmy asked, gaping at Rose.

"Complicated and unimportant." The Doctor said simply with a smile. "Now, I'm going back to the TARDIS. Too dangerous with all the acid leaks, as we have just learned. Bring Rose to the dining hall, wait for me there, stay together, okay?"

"And what about Rory?" Amy asked.

"We'd find him faster with the TARDIS." Rose said as the Doctor guided her toward Jimmy. He looped an arm around Rose's waist but still looked utterly flabbergasted.

"Which way to the exit?" The Doctor asked him.

"Other corridor, keep going straight, can't miss it. But you're never going to get your vehicle in here."

"I'm a great parker." The Doctor smirked. Rose snorted, but he ignored her. "Just get Rose to safety."

He didn't say anything else before he darted around the corner and disappeared. After the echo of his foot falls faded, Amy back tracked as well, heading around the same corner.

"Amy?" Rose asked.

"I have to go find Rory." She insisted. "I can't … I feel like I need him with us, and I'm restless without him."

Rose went to argue but caught the flicker of pain on Amy's face.

"Alright. Be safe, yeah? Pretty sure I'm the best case scenario for acid burn right now."

Amy smirked. "Better start moisturizing more, Grandma. Skin's looking a bit wrinkled." She teased as she started walking away.

"Oi, watch it, Pond." Rose called back.

"She shouldn't be wandering about without an acid suit." Jimmy said as he started helping Rose back toward the dining hall.

"I wouldn't worry." Rose said with a sigh. "In a small way, she's not."

* * *

 

They couldn't find her a spare jumpsuit, but Jennifer and Cleaves were both about the same size as Rose so Jimmy managed to find her some black sweats, a maroon jumper, and a pair of white runners she could wear. She found some scissors and a mirror, sat at the dinning hall table, and went about evening out the length of her hair. It was very much like the style she had oh so long ago, and a part of her ached for the mother that insisted short was good on her.

The scars on her Rose's were mostly faded, the majority of the damage having hit her limbs and torso. Still, it was enough to make Buzzer and Dicken unwillingly stare for a bit after they returned to the dining hall.

Apparently, despite being told to stay, they went after the acid suits only to discover that the gangers had gotten to them first.

Rose said nothing.

Instead, she quietly observed how the lot were treating Jen when they returned, Amy and Rory with them, to the dining hall. Even Jimmy, who not that long before toted wanting to set a good example for his son, was quick to fall into line with Buzzer and Dicken's thinking. Even Amy was keeping her distance, though Rory stayed near Jennifer as if protecting her.

She fed this to her husband through their bond, but all he did was send her reassurances. He had a plan, and he had a back up plan in case the first didn't go the way he'd like.

So Rose waited, nibbling on some of sort of dried fruit thing that had been in a sealed packet on the table. She'd catch Rory's eye and hope he understood that the Doctor was on the way, and they just had to listen for the TARDIS.

It was not the TARDIS she heard.

"Okay, let's not do anything at all," Amy was saying, "Until the Doctor gets here." She was parroted by the Doctor as he walked in with the gangers behind him.

"Hello." He said on his own, with a wave before catching Rose's eye. "Oh, you're looking better already. And a hundred years younger, maybe a hundred ten." He said with a grin, gesturing to her face and ignoring the growing tension in the room as the crew looked at themselves.

"This is…." Jimmy said.

"You're telling me," The other Jimmy replied, and Rose only knew it was a ganger because of where he was standing.

"Alright, Doctor, you've brought us together. Now what?" Cleaves said with barely masked exasperation. Well, the ganger Cleaves, Rose assumed.

"Before we do anything, I have one very important question." The Doctor said to the room. "Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow? Size 10. Although, I should warn you, I have very wide feet."

"I got a pair," Buzzer said, getting up and heading to his pile of stuff.

"What happened to your boots?" Rose asked before popping another piece of dried fruit, and apricot this time, into her mouth.

"I may or may not have stepped into some acid." He admitted. "And before you start, it was because the TARDIS was in a pool of it. Don't worry, she's safe, just a little put out." He hastened to explain, his hands were moving about as he spoke. Buzzer handed him a pair of boots, brown as opposed to the black he was wearing before, and the Doctor took them with a boyish grin. Sitting on the corner of the table nearest Rose, he took off his ruined shoes and replaced them.

As he changed, the duplicates and Cleaves seemed to shift about, grouping each on either side of the table. Rory and Jennifer remained off to the side, hand in hand, and Amy stood a bit behind the Doctor.

Rose smirked, seeing an all too familiar look in the ginger's eyes as she glanced toward her husband and Jen. At least that green eyed monster wasn't pointed toward her this time.

"Are you starting to see, now? Having stared at yourself all this time, seeing the similarities? The Flesh was never merely moss." The Doctor startled Rose as he got up abruptly, and after her heart settled back in her chest she stood up with him. He then reclaimed his jacket which she had draped over the back of her chair, and he put it on with flourish. "What you are seeing before you is not a copy, but another person. We were all jelly, once. Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop."

"Might not be the best picture." Rose said as Amy grimaced.

"Might not, but that's the point. The storm has hardwired them, made them people."

"With souls?" Jimmy wondered aloud.

"Rubbish." Dicken dismissed before sneezing into his elbow.

"Bless you." The other Dicken said, earning him a glare from Cleaves.

"Look," The Doctor said gently, "I'm not going to lie to you, it's a right off mess, this. But, as you might say up north, 'Oh well, I'll just go t' foot of the stairs.'"

"And I will leave my number for any of the lot of you should your spouse or otherwise need to learn to deal with two of ya." Rose said. "Bit of experience with that."

She smirked at the confused looks exchanged among the crew. The Doctor pouted a bit, grumbling quietly over their bond before turning to the crew.

"Once I'm able to get to the TARDIS again, we'll get everyone out of here safely. We'll take it from there."

"But we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves." Amy noted.

"And I'm sad to say it'll still be a bit before I can get to the ol' girl." The Doctor noted.

"We should still have everyone together though, yeah?" Rose crossed her arms.

The Doctor considered it for a moment. "Suppose it really can't hurt."

"I'll go and look for 'em." Jimmy said, heading for the door.

"I'll give you a hand, if you like. Cover more ground." The other Jimmy offered with a shrug.

It made Rose smile to see the two of them already getting along, and she wasn't sure the approval and relief she felt in her heart was hers or her husband's.

"This circus has gone on long enough!" Cleaves voice came from behind, and Rose turned with the rest to see her entering from the back holding what looked like a battery with some kind of hose on it.

"Oh great." The other Cleaves said sarcastically. "You see, that is just so typically me"

"Doctor, tell it to shut up." The one holding the weapon said.

"It? Got more humanity than you do right now, mate." Rose countered.

Cleaves looked her over. "Oh, you've seen better days. Which one of those things did that to you, huh?"

"Please," The Doctor said, shifting in front of Rose before she could step any closer to the woman with the weapon.

"What are you going to do to them?" Amy asked apprehensively.

"This thing is a circuit probe. Fires about, oh, forty thousand volts. It would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on gangers just the same."

"It's interesting you refer to them as 'it', but call a glorified cattle prod a 'she.'" The Doctor noted, hands still up where Cleaves could see them.

"When the real people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you. But they're monsters. Mistakes. The need to be destroyed, now."

"We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda?" The other Cleaves said with calm. "Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on."

In a flash, the other Buzzer ran, making to tackle the Cleaves with a weapon, but he wasn't fast enough. A charge of electricity found its way to its target, and the other Buzzer twitched and flailed before falling to the ground.

The Doctor ran over to him, checking vitals.

"He's dead." The Doctor choked out.

"We call it decommissioned." Cleaves said, gesturing with the prod.

"You stopped his heart! He had a heart! Aorta, valves, a real human heart, and you stopped it!" The Doctor cried out as Rose made to step in front of the prod, making sure where ever it was aimed it would hit her.

"Out of the way, Sweetheart." Cleaves mocked as people started panicking.

Rose dove, surprising Cleaves enough that she didn't set the charge off before Rose made contact with her. Getting the probe away, Rose took the cord and pulled hard, snapping it to ensure that even if Cleaves managed to wrestle it from her, she wouldn't be able to use it. The sparks left in the wire tingled up Rose's arm, causing her heart to stutter a bit. Already weakened from the acid, Rose fell on her knees but not any further. She stared Cleaves down even as she heard the Doctor coming up behind her.

"Look what you've done," he snarled at Cleaves.

"If it's war, then it's war." She spat.

"It wasn't war until you fired the first shot, you bleeding idiot." Rose growled back.

Cleaves stared at her, then at the Doctor, and snickered. "You don't get it. How can you? It's us and them now." She said as she got to her feet, looking to her crew, the gangers gone from the room. "Us, and them." She reiterated.

"Us and them," Dicken said without hesitation.

Jimmy looked crestfallen as he nodded. "Us and them."

"Come on, you need to sit down," The Doctor sighed, helping Rose to her feet and guiding her over to the table. He sat her down as Rory and Amy went about respectfully covering the other Buzzer's body while the crew chatted among them. "Never once have I ever thought I'd say this, but I should have let you die."

Rose chuckled unamusedly. "Would have been better in the long run, yeah. Pain, but my body would have renewed faster. Not gonna lie, was hoping she'd get me before I got to her." Rose stretched, cracked her neck. "Starting to _feel_ like a hundred thirty."

"Wait til you hit five hundred, that's a doozy." The Doctor said off-handedly.

Rose hummed in agreement, though she'd have no idea if that were accurate. "You said before you had a back up plan in case this one didn't pan out. It hasn't, so what now?"

"Now," he said thoughtfully. "Now, we need to find safety. For all our sakes, as well as for the sake of my plan. And it seems well and good that my plan involves what it does because it appears as though Amy could use some … understanding as to how real they are."

Rose looked to the Ponds as they argued quietly over the other Buzzer's body. "How can we do it, though? After finding out what we have about them, how can we … decommission this Amy simply because she's not ours?"

"Amy is not animated flesh, she's still plumbed in on the other end. But the other end … I think we're running out of time." He said as Amy clutched her side, hand tightening a moment. "Her true self, I believe, may just be going into labor if not already in it, and it's getting to the point of intensity where it's feeding back to her ganger."

"Well then we need to hurry this along." Rose said, getting to her feet. "Never mind me, I'll get through it."

"Right you are." The Doctor said, giving her a kiss on the scared side of her cheek before turning toward the crew. "The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?" He asked them in a booming voice, cutting through the various chatter.

"The Chapel." Cleaves said, intrigued. "Only one way in, stone walls two feet thick."

The Doctor nodded. "Let's get there, then." He said, gesturing for her to lead.

No one said a word as the lot of them made their way to the chapel inside the monastery. It was nearly suspicious to the point where Rose kept prodding her husband's mind in hopes to find some clue as to why it could be. Even he found it odd, which was never a good sign.

When they managed to get the heavy, wooden doors open, the crew of miners rushed in first.

Just as they were about to follow, a scream sounding distinctly like Jennifer's echoed down the corridor.

Rory paused, looking torn between continuing inside and going after her. Another small whimper, and he turned toward it.

"Rory?" Amy said, reaching out. "Come on." She pleaded.

"Jen's out there." He said as he stepped away. "She's out there, and she's on her own."

"Well if she's got any sense, she's hiding." Amy countered.

"I cant leave her out there," Rory insisted, he looked to Rose, "I know you understand that."

"Knock four times." Rose said firmly, and Rory nodded, taking off and disappearing down a side corridor.

"Get back here!" Amy cried out, drawing the attention of the gangers as they appeared at the end of the hall.

The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her inside the chapel, Rose following behind and helping her husband get the door closed.

Once locked, the Doctor turned and grabbed the hysteric Amy by the shoulders and forced her to look at him while the mining crew barred the door with whatever they could.

"They aren't after him, they're after us." The Doctor assured her, pulling her to his chest and stroking her hair until she calmed down. Rose suspected he may have used a bit of telepathy with how quickly Amy slowed her breathing and stopped trembling, though she would never accuse him of it.

"Why?" A voice whispered. "Why?"

Slowly the Doctor let go of Amy and stepped away, looking about.

"Ah!" The voice cried out, and the Doctor and Rose looked to one of he darkest corners of the chapel.

" _And here it is, plan b._ " He told her privately as they inched toward the darknesss.

"We need something heavy." Dicken's voice came from behind. "Anything you can find."

"This is insane." Jimmy laughed mirthlessly. "We're fighting ourselves."

"Yes, and it's about to get even more insanerer." The Doctor said without looking away from the darkness. "Show yourself, right now!" He demanded of the voice.

"Doctor, we're trapped in here, and Rory is out there with them." Amy said. "We can't even leave the island until you find the TARDIS, and you're telling us it's gonna get worse?"

"Correct, Pond." The Doctor said, though his lips didn't move. "It's frightening, unexpected, frankly a total, utter, splattering mess on the carpet. But I'm certain, one hundred percent certain, that we can work this out."

Rose watched as the figure emerged from the shadows, and somehow not a single bit of her was surprised to find a second Doctor not quite formed. He straightened his bow tie and looked pleasantly pleased with himself.

"Trust me," he said. "I'm the Doctor."

Rose looked to her husband beside her. "Plan B?"

He merely smiled.


	27. The Almost People pt 1

The new Doctor collapsed to his knees, clutching his head and withering in pain. "What's happening?" He cried. "But one day we will get back. Yes, one day…." He said in a voice that was entirely unfamiliar to Rose, yet didn't feel like a stranger's at all. He cried out in pain before saying, "I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow," In another strange yet familiar voice.

Rose approached him slowly, feeling the Doctor just behind her.

"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," He explained, and when Rose glanced at him over her shoulder he was looking at his ganger with sympathy. "Hold on." He told him.

Rose turned back toward the ganger in time to see him bolt upward, stick straight, palm extended toward her. "Would you like a jelly baby?" He asked in another odd voice. He then gripped his head. "Why?" He pleaded in his current voice.

"It's alright, you can manage." She tried to sooth.

She touched his arm, and he straightened again, this time with condescending smirk. "I love humans, always seeing patterns in things that aren't there." He said in the smooth voice of his eighth self. He thrashed about a bit, then shot forward and cupped her cheek. "Fantastic." He said with that wonderful, Northern tone she'd fallen for only to have it gone a moment later when he brightened up and said, "Hello, I'm the Doctor!" In his last voice.

"Hold on, hold on, you can stabilize." The Doctor behind her encouraged, and the ganger dropped his hand to her shoulder and squeezed.

"I've reversed … the jelly baby … of the neutron flow." He whimpered in pain, and Rose shoved his hand off her to simply hold him as tight as she could.

"Come back to me, my Doctor." She soothed quietly. "You can come back to me, I know you can."

He squeezed her tightly, his grip nearly crushing her. Her chest was a bit too constricted, and it crossed her mind that he might actually break her ribs or cut off her air supply.

"Doctor, we need you." Amy said behind her, much closer than she had been before. "The gangers aren't trying to get in any more, and we need a plan."

The whimpers and the grip of the Doctor in Rose's arms eased, and she felt the wave of relief from her husband a moment later. Or, she assumed it was her husband. Searching her mind, she realized she had one mental signature paired with her own, but the tingle of another trying to get in.

"Hello," She heard next to her ear, the ganger Doctor's lips brushing against it.

"Cybermats." The Doctor behind her said.

"Doctor!" Amy protested.

"Do we have time for this?" The Doctor in her arms pulled back, gripping her waist still as he looked up at the Doctor behind her. That tingle in her mind disappeared.

"We make time. I'd like more proof that you're me. Cybermats?" The Doctor demanded firmly.

Sighing, the ganger Doctor got to his feet and helped Rose to hers as he replied. "Created by the Cybermen. The kill by feeding off brain waves."

Rose stepped away from him just a bit, placing herself almost exactly between the two Doctors. She noted Amy running toward Buzzer and Jimmy, thought she heard the word "gun" from the ginger, but chose to ignore it for now.

"We met our wife …?" The Doctor with borrowed boots asked.

"Basement of Hendricks. We were about to blow it up but found a human signature on the scanner." The ganger replied.

There was a pounding on the door, and Rose turned to see the crew backing away while arming themselves with things they could bludgeon with.

"Rory and Amy may not trust both of us."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Inevitably."

At this, Rose turned to see the two Doctors standing side by side wearing the same chummy grin as they talked to one another.

"I'm glad we're on the same …."

"Wavelength. You see, great minds."

"Exactly. So what's the plan?"

"Save them all, humans and gangers."

"Sounds wonderful."

"Is that what you were thinking?"

"It's just so inspiring to hear me say it."

"I know."

"Remember that fantasy I had about two Doctor's getting along?" Rose asked, folding her arms and looking to each of them as they looked at her with complete captivation. "Take it back, 's a bit much."

"Oi, Rose Tyler, never too much of a good thing." The Doctor in borrowed shoes said, equally as affronted as his duplicate.

"Especially such a charming, handsome thing." The ganger added, straightening his bow tie.

"Imagine how terrible it would have been if the meta crisis had stuck around."

"Two of that version, ugh." The Ganger grimaced.

"Least the two of you weren't so instantly in tune." She countered.

They both tried to duplicate that former click and wink from their previous body and both failed to make it as charming.

"Doctor, we need you. Come on!" Amy insisted, avoiding eye contact with both of them. She focused on something near the ground, eyes darting back and forth in short movements that neither Doctor seemed to notice.

"So, what now, Doctor?" The ganger asked, all too pleased with himself.

"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor," The Doctor replied, ribbing his double. In sync, they moved toward the crew.

"Hello, sorry," They said together, making the miners instantly uncomfortable and utterly confused.

"But we had to establish a few …."

"Ground rules."

"Formulate a …."

"Protocol."

"Protocol, very posh."

"A protocol between us, otherwise …."

"It gets horribly embarrassing."

"Must say," Rose imputed. "Really not enjoying this."

"Having someone impersonate your husband?" Amy asked, holding her side like she was uncomfortable.

"More like the annoying way they're finishing one another's sentences. Can think of a good many uses for two of him, but the ego is suffocating in here." Both Doctors' ears turned red. Satisfied with their mutual embarrassment, Rose turned to the crew. "You lot are gonna have to put down your weapons. Eventually you're gonna have to work out how to live your lives with your gangers in them."

"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting? They're trying to kill us." Cleaves retorted.

Rose shot her a glare. "I have no patience, tolerance, or respect for you. Had you actually had half a brain you'd realize the only reason we are in this situation is 'cause of you. Shot first, didn't intend to ask, and now 'cause of you, your crew is in danger. Great leader, you are. Knew a mad man with a murderous streak that had more respect for life than you." Rose spat before turning her attention back to the others. "Imagine we can talk through it with them once we meet up, but first, we need a safe way out."

"Pretty sure we're trapped." Amy said with an air of sarcasm.

"I don't think so," One of the Doctors said as he came toward them, eyes focused on a pipe running along the ceiling. "The Flesh bowl is fed by cabling from above." He pointed it out, drawing the crew's attention to it.

"But where are the earthing conduits? The other one asked, looking down below.

"All this piping must go down into a tunnel, or a shaft, or something?" The first one thought out load, looking about before pausing and putting his hands in the air in victory. "Yowza! An escape route." He said, moving to a panel on the side of the wall. He pulled it off, revealing a grate to a tunnel big enough for the lot of them to climb through.

Amy looked to Rose. "Yowza?" She mouthed. Rose shook her head with a shrug.

"You know, I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hang out with me." The Doctor said as he removed the grate.

"Been doing it for more than a century. Not that impressive." Rose countered, earning a snicker from Amy.

The Doctor turned a frown to her before looking at his duplicate. "Is it just me or is she …?"

"A bit tetchy, yes." The Doctor nearest her turned her around and held her cheek in one hand, her waist in the other. The tingle returned. "We'll get better, promise. Try not to be so …."

"Overwhelming." The other Doctor offered.

"Yes, that." The one before her stroked her cheek with his thumb. "And … do we tend to say 'yowza'?"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle as the other one said, "We're under stress, okay?"

"You got our escape route sorted, there, Love?" She asked.

"Yes. If you all don't mind filing in through here, we can make our way to the next safest area." He said, adjusting his jacket.

"What about Rory and Jen? They're both out there." Amy asked before anyone could move.

"Takes a long time to find someone in a maze. I bet you lot have computers." The Doctor standing by the escape route said.

"If we can get power running, we can scan for them." Cleaves nodded. "The Evac tower will have what we need. From there we can also contact the mainland, get a recon team out here."

"We still need to worry about the acid, and the inevitable result the acid mixing with all this old stone will cause." The Doctor by the escape route pointed out.

"Which is?" Jimmy asked.

"Asphyxiant miasme. Chokey gas. We move, might not affect you humans so much." The Doctor at Rose's side said.

"Brilliant, you keep telling me to breathe," Amy said, eyes focused on the Doctor by the door.

"Very important." He said to her.

"And now …."

"We to need move fast." Rose said, punctuated by a load bang on the door. "That's our cue." She said.

Without needing to be told, the crew and Amy began to file inside the small tunnel, Rose and her Doctors following behind. No sooner was the grate back in place did she hear the distinct sound of the barricade giving way. She didn't look back to see if the gangers spotted them.

* * *

 

As soon as they'd made it to the tower, the two Doctors immediately got to work on the power supply at the control console. Rose moved to stand and lean on the wall at the back of the room, watching the pair of them as they handed the sonic back and forth to work off the panels and sort wires.

"Can you really get the power back?" Cleaves asked as she paced the room a healthy distance away from Rose. She made sure to stand on the other side of the console, never making eye contact and barely looking in Rose's direction as it was.

"Oh there's always power floating around." The Doctor with black shoes said as he popped his head over the console.

As he ducked down, the Doctor with brown boots handed his copy the screwdriver as he popped up to give his two cents as well.

"Sticking to the wires like bits of lint." He said, gesturing about.

"Can you stop finishing each other's…." Amy started, sounding more than a bit irritated.

She became visibly so when the other Doctor popped his head up as well. "Sentences?" They said in sync.

"Yes." The Doctor with black shoes said.

"Will try." Said the one in brown.

"How can you take it?" Amy asked Rose as both Doctors ducked down.

Rose shrugged. "Not the first time I've had to deal with two of them."

"Yeah, but, that was different. They were different versions, this isn't. They can't both be real."

"We are." Protested the ganger Doctor as he popped up. "I'm the Doctor."

"And so am I." The original popped up and confronted Amy with his twin. "We both contain the knowledge of over a thousand years of memory and experience."

"We both wear the same bow-tie." The twin Doctor added. "Which is cool, because bow ties are."

"And always will be." The original assured.

Rose kept quiet on that one. After all, leather jackets were all the rage once, and then it was trainers with suits. For all she knew, his next life would have a penchant for socks with sandals.

"But how did the Flesh read you? Because you weren't linked up to it." Amy asked, and Cleaves ceased her pacing and did very little to conceal how interested she was with this bit of information.

"Well, it must've been after I examined it." The Doctor explained, and Rose felt his bashful guilt through their bond as he confessed a half truth. She also caught a glimpse in his mind of how he soniced the vat of Flesh after the storm to encourage his copy. "Then, a new, genuine Doctor was created." He said with ease.

"Ta-da!" The copy said.

"No getting away from it." Amy shook her head. "One of you was here first. One of you is bonded to Rose. If one of you dies …."

"Then I will be heart broken either way." Rose cut her off, not trusting some in the room with the secret of her long life and link to the Doctor. "He's my husband, Amy, I love every him."

"But there is a difference." Amy said insistently.

"Well, okay, yes," The actual Time Lord said as Rose got down to help her husbands work on the console as they both seemed pre-occupied with Amy's fixation. "After the Flesh scanned me I had an accident with a puddle of acid. Now, new shoes. A situation which did not confront me learned self."

"That satisfy you, Pond?" The copy asked.

"Don't call me Pond, please." She asked, not entirely rude but enough to sting.

Rose glanced up and observed the Doctors as they both looked equally hurt at Amy's slight, as well as curious.

"Interesting." The ganger Doctor said.

"What?" Amy asked, striving for nonchalant while barely looking at him.

"You definitely feel more affection for him than me." The ganger Doctor pointed out.

"No, no." Amy tried poorly to reassure. "Look, you're fine and everything, but he's the Doctor. No offense, being almost the Doctor is pretty darn impressive." She buttered him up.

The stab of pain to Rose's heart might have been her own as much as it was her Doctor's. She didn't need the bond to understand what he may have been thinking: Amy wouldn't stay if he regenerated. She may know about it, may have actually met another version of him, heard stories of others, but Amy likely wouldn't handle the change.

"Being almost the Doctor's like being no Doctor at all." The ganger Doctor said, the heartsbreak coming through in his voice. The Doctor left his copy to chat with Amy, helping Rose with the final repairs.

"Don't overreact," Amy countered.

"You might as well call me Smith." The ganger spat, and Rose reached a hand out to comfort him, slipping up under his trouser leg to caress his calf. His mind brushed against her for just a moment before becoming a tingle again, but in that flash his pain was her own.

"Yes! Communication a go-go!" The other Doctor exclaimed, standing with his fists in the air as the console hummed to life. As Cleaves and Amy rushed to the console, the Doctors knelt down to help Rose put the panels back on, passing the screwdriver back and forth to seal them.

Cleaves went about calling for help while Amy sought out Rory. Jimmy, Buzzer, and Dicken kept quiet and out of the way for the time being. The ganger Doctor went around to stand by Cleaves as she tried to connect to the mainland.

"We're just about reading you, Saint John's." A male voice came over the comm, and relief washed over the whole crew. "How are you doing? We've had all kinds of trouble here."

"Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our gangers."

"Your gangers?" The surprise on the other end was genuine, if not a bit fearful.

"Yes, our gangers. Are attacking us. We need you to takes us off the island immediately and wipe them out."

The two Doctor's looked to one another, and Rose clasped the Time Lord's hand as the other Doctor straightened and paced away. He dragged his hand across his chin, and with a squeeze, Rose stepped away from the Time Lord to comfort the ganger while Cleaves closed off communication with the mainland.

There wasn't much Rose could say to him as she took his hand. She could feel a weak thrum, stronger than the tingle, in her mind as her fingers wove between his, but she couldn't reach out to him. The ganger Doctor squeezed her hand, gave her a flicker of a smile, but said nothing and reverted to a neutral expression.

While crew did what prep they could for the evacuation, the Doctor at the console went about punching keys and pushing buttons, seating himself in a chair while Amy sat beside him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making a phone call." He replied. Curiously, Rose nudged his mind, and he added. " _A reservation for a call. You'll see._ "

"Who to?" Amy asked.

"No one, yet. It's on delay." The Doctor replied.

"Right. Not getting it. Why exactly are you making a phone call?" Amy asked, leaning toward the Doctor.

"Because, Amy, I am and always will be the optimist." He said as he spun her chair, making Amy laugh joyfully. "The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams. The wheels are in motion, done." He said as he hit one last button with flourish.

Amy's chair stopped with her facing Rose and the ganger Doctor, and she looked at him a bit coldly. "You know there can be only one." She said, just loud enough to be heard but not so loud that human ears would undoubtedly register it.

"Hmm?" The Doctor beside Amy hummed, pretending as if he hadn't heard her when the flash off annoyance in his soul said he had.

"Oh nothing. Carry on, be amazing." Amy waved it off before hissing in pain and wincing. She hunched over, clutching her sides.

"Amy, what is it?" The Doctor beside her asked, putting a hand on her back and leaning in his chair to look at her.

At the same moment, the Doctor at Rose's side dropped her hand, lifting his to his temple with a look of utter pain.

"It's nothing," She heard Amy said while she focused on the man beside her. "Just some cramps."

"It's in my head." The Doctor Rose was focused on whimpered, his face scrunching with utter sadness before he left the room.

"Hey, hold on," Jimmy called out.

"Don't let him go!" Cleaves commanded Jimmy.

"'S alright." Rose stopped Jimmy, ignoring Cleaves all together. "Let me take care of it, yeah?" She said with a nod. Jimmy glanced at the door the ganger Doctor disappeared down then gave Rose a nod.

She turned and left without a word, stepping out onto another battlement where the ganger Doctor looked out over the grounds below. He didn't say anything, but she knew by the twitch in his stance he heard her come out.

She came around the front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head between his hearts.

"Gonna be interesting, having both of you." She started. "Mighta wanted to run that that bit by me before you made such a major decision, but I'll manage." He didn't say anything, but his hand did come up to rest on her lower back. "Might wanna put you in a different color, though. Just enough difference that I can say 'Doctor in purple, or Doctor in blue'."

"Why?" He asked.

"Well, it's better than 'you there', or 'a' and 'b'."

"Why?" He asked again, and before Rose could betray her confusion, he pressed his forehead hard to hers, grasping her face so she couldn't look away. The thrum of his mind against hers was a bit stronger, but still not strong enough to share anything. "It's all the eyes say, 'why'? I can feel them as they work each day, knowing the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. 'Not again, please.' And then they are destroyed, and they feel death, and all they can say is 'why?'"

Rose reached up and gripped his face as fiercely as he gripped her.

"Not gonna happen to you, ya understand? Not going to toss you away."

"You didn't love the meta crisis." He reminded her.

She wished there was a stronger link between them as well so she could reassure him of her heart the same way she had for decades. But since there was no telepathic bond, just a light hum, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him, pouring all the love she felt for the Doctor into it.

It broke her heart to feel the desperation in which he returned it. Cliched as it was, it really did remind her of a man dying of thirst having finally found water. But it made sense. She hadn't shown him any unkindness, but neither had the crew who openly admitted to planning on destroying the gangers with him among them. His best friend, a woman she knew he likened to a sister, had rejected him. Rose's kiss was the first, real bout of affection he received that was his, that couldn't be interpreted as anything but what it was: love.

When he finally pulled back to let her breath, she said, "He was different. He wasn't you, not properly, not the Doctor who'd been through everything with me. He didn't share all the memories, or love, or pain I had with you. You, you are exactly him. We have been through all the same things together, save for maybe a half hour. A half hour, Doctor, is nothing with our life span."

"I may be subtly different in that respect," he said on a whisper as if he were afraid the walls would hear and betray him. "I might not regenerate. I'm not sure …. Complicated, you see." He said, nose brushing hers.

"And you might still out live us." She stroked his cheek. "You might be the same man, but maybe he stumbles and regenerates when you don't. Maybe he goes through his last lives before you finish living this one. We don't know what's in the future, but not letting you go, you understand? We make this work. Because you are the Doctor, and I love you." Rose told him, pulling him down for another kiss.

He was more gentle this time, moving his hands from her face to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly to him. Even Rose relaxed, putting her fingers in his hair and scratching lightly.

He chuckled against her lips before pulling back. "Time and a place, Ms Tyler. Do that too much, all these new, raw nerve endings, might not make it back inside to assist in getting humans and gangers in getting along."

"Suppose." Rose said with a mock pout. "Guess I'll just have to save that for later. Along with learning how to juggle both of you."

He grimaced. "Not sure 'both' is in the cards." He said, pulling at the collar at his shirt. "Might think this is the best body I've had yet, but the thought of actually seeing … well, actually, watching might not be so …."

She slapped him on the chest, and he laughed as he stepped away to give her a chance to move along.

"Dirty old man, you are." She teased him as they headed back inside.

"You're the one who implied … what you implied." He said, and she glanced back to see his ears and cheeks on fire. He stopped. "Why?" He murmured sadly. "It's all they keep asking: why?"

"Let's go talk it out with other you." She said, reaching toward him and taking his hand. "Both your brilliant minds at work'll figure it out right quick, yeah?"

"No need." He said, "Already know what it wants. Come on, let's head in." He tugged on her hand and marched back into the tower with determination.

Rose didn't protest, letting him lead her back inside the room.

"Did you sense it?" The Doctor holding her hand asked his double as they entered.

"Briefly," The other Doctor confessed from where he sat. "Not as strong as you."

"Sensed what?" Amy asked from where she now leaned against the console, having apparently given her seat to Cleaves.

"The Flesh. It would appear I can connect to the Flesh."

"Well, considering you _are_ the Flesh." Amy practically spat out, looking anywhere but at the Doctor with Rose.

"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through, what it needs." He continues, ignoring Amy's interjections. "It's much more powerful than we thought. The Flesh can grow, correct?" He directed the question to Cleaves.

"Its cells can divide." She affirmed cautiously.

"Well now it wants to do that at will. It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge." He repeated for emphasis, stressing this point to the room.

"Doctor," Cleaves said to him, and Rose could very nearly feel the spike of hope he had at being addressed by his name. "It might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?" She tilted her head toward the middle of the room, a good distance away from the others.

"Hold on a minute, hold your horses." The Doctor in the chair protested. "I thought I explained this. I'm him, he's me."

"Doctor we have no issue with you, but when it comes to your ganger." Cleave sneered.

"Don't be absurd." The Doctor sitting across from her said, but Cleaves paid him no mind.

"Buzzer." She said simply, and Buzzer seemed to know exactly what she wanted. He grabbed a barrel, putting it in the middle of the room.

"Take a seat, mate." He said, giving the top a pat as he stared down the Doctor with Rose.

"Nice barrel, very comfy. Why not?" He said as he moved to the barrel, having let got of Rose's hand to do so. He straightened his bow-tie, adjusted his jacket, then sat down as he cleared his throat. He turned to Amy, not masking the betrayal as he asked. "Is this really what you want?"

She looked away, choosing not answer.

Rose glanced to the Doctor by Amy, and he smiled and gave her a nod. She then went and stood behind the other Doctor, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, that's gotta sting." Cleaves smirked. "Your wife going with your ganger."

"My wife going to me. Staying by my side as she has for the last hundred years." The Doctor across from Cleaves replied.

"Oh, come on." Amy said quietly, likely thinking Rose wouldn't hear her. "We both know she's empathetic to anyone who's a bit … different."

"Which is one of the many reasons I love her. You telling me if there were two Rory's, and one of them happened to come from Flesh, you wouldn't still love them both?"

Amy opened her mouth to reply but stopped, brow furrowing as if she hadn't really considered it.

She was saved from answering as the mainland came through with an update. With the room distracted, looking at the console, Cleaves bowed her head, messaged her temples.

Slyly, the Doctor across from her took out his sonic and gave her a quick scan, glancing at the results.

"I can't find Rory," Amy said, a bit of panic to her voice. "If rescue's on the way, I'm going out there to find him."

"We could use the sonic to track him. Humans and gangers give off slightly different signals. The sonic needs to tell the difference." He said, flicking through the settings.

"Oh, so the sonic knows gangers are different," Amy said as if the sonic proved her right in some way. "The other Doctor is different."

"The sonic can also differentiate Rose as she's a modified human. It's all about wave lengths, Amy, but he is the Doctor."

"Not to me, I can tell." She said firmly, a slight raise to her chin.

"Sure you're not prejudiced?" He countered.

"Nice try, but I know, okay? We've been through too much." She said firmly.

"And you don't think Rose has? The woman who's been by my side for three regenerations? Who has faced more things at with me than you can ever dream of? You're saying your opinion on who is and isn't the Doctor outweighs that of the only person in the Universe who …." He stopped, catching himself, the thought _who knows my name_ filtered through the bond. Both Rose and the ganger Doctor tensed at what was nearly let slip in front of people they didn't trust. In front of an Amy who was wasn't really Amy. "Who knows me unlike anyone else?" The Doctor supplied instead.

Amy fidgeted, lips twitching like she wanted to argue but didn't know how. "You're my Doctor. End of." She said instead, turning away from both Doctors and looking at the wall. No one else would look at them either, and the Doctor slowly got up from his chair and paced the room. He took off his jacket, slinging it over his shoulder as he neared them.

" _What are you two up to?"_ She asked. They both smirked, which only made it a bit more suspicious.

"Hey," Buzzer broke through the awkward silence in the room. "There's camera up. We've got a visual."

Amy whirled around, gripping the edge of the console. "That's Rory and Jennifer."

The second everyone was focused on the monitor, the Doctor crossed the distance between he and his counterpart in two giant, silent steps. The other Doctor stood as he did, toeing off his shoes and shrugging off his jacket. The two of them switched shoes, coats, and positions as the others tried to figure out what Rory and Jennifer were up to. With two giant steps toward them, the ganger Doctor hovered over Amy's shoulder, shrugging on his jacket.

"They're heading for the thermostatic room." Cleaves said, hers and the eyes of the whole crew on the monitor as the Doctor beside Rose put on his jacket.

"Let's go get them!" Amy said eagerly, turning to the Doctor at her side.

He grinned, turned to the Doctor and Rose, and chucked his double his screwdriver.

"Hang on," Amy protested.

"We can't let him go, are you crazy?" Cleaves added.

"Am I crazy, Sweetheart?" The Doctor by Amy and Cleaves asked with a smug grin.

"Entirely," Rose replied, smiling with her tongue between her teeth. "Means you both are, really."

"He can't go rescue them, I'm going." Amy said firmly, shifting into a challenging stance.

He mirrored it, holding her eye as he said, "I want him to go, and I'm rather adamant."

"Well then, he'll need company." Buzzer said evenly. "Right, boss? It's fine, I'll handle it."

"More the merrier." Rose said as the Doctor with her stood up. "Always can use a third pair of hands."

Buzzer looked at her nervously. "You're coming, too?"

"Why not?" She asked, crossing her arms. "Might find I'm useful."

He studied her for a moment, as if sizing her up, then smirked. "Alright, let's shift."

Rose looked toward the Doctor with Amy, sending him a reassuring smile.

" _Buzzer's going to try and pull something._ " The Doctor beside her warned.

" _Why do you think I'm going?"_ Rose asked him, sending the other Doctor a wink and small wave before rounding the corner and disappearing from his sight.


	28. The Almost People pt 2

As the Doctor followed a signal on the sonic, the ground shook beneath them.

"What was that?" Buzzer asked, looking about.

"A problem. Which means we need to get out of here sooner than expected." The Doctor replied.

"A problem that you knew would happen?" Rose asked, wishing once again she had the same connection with the ganger Doctor as she had with this one. She could reach out, find out what's going on.

"Sort of, maybe. Always a possibility with the amount of acid in the area, but I can't say for certain this place could blow or not." He replied, waving the sonic about.

She paused for a moment, looking back at the monastery. Explosions weren't her favorite way to go, and she could still feel the phantom burning sting of the acid. But if the Doctor went with her … well, there was no telling if the Time Lord Doctor was going to regenerate from that kind of disaster, let alone the ganger.

"We need to keep going." Rose said more to herself than them.

"Tracking as fast as I can, Sweetheart." The Doctor replied anyway.

Buzzer looked as though he wanted to say dozens of things, but not a single sound passed through his tightly shut lips.

"Oh, I'm getting something!" The Doctor said, darting ahead quickly and following the signature on the sonic.

"Is it human?" Buzzer asked, following close behind.

"Yeah, it's human." The Doctor replied. "But it's fading. This is bad, fading is very bad." He groaned, looking around, spotting something with his superior eyes and darting toward it.

Rose started falling back a bit, faking her stamina wearing thin, to see what Buzzer would do as he bolted pretty quick to keep up with the Doctor.

"She was hanging onto the edge of life and she just slipped away. Oh, Jennifer, I'm so sorry. She's been out here for hours." The Doctor said, kneeling beside Jennifer asnRose and Buzzer caught up. The Doctor's back was to them, and his movements suggested he was stroking Jen's hair, and Buzzer's movements suggested he was about to hit her husband.

"But if the real Jen's been lying out here?" Buzzer said as Rose rushed quietly toward him.

"Rory's in trouble." The Doctor acknowledged just as as Buzzer as about to strike down.

Rose grabbed his arm, using all her strength to hold the bigger man back. Her muscles quivered, ache from her acid bath returning with the strain, but she pushed through it.

The shock on Buzzer's face when he saw her holding him at bay was near terror.

"Don't think about it, mate." She said to him through clenched teeth.

"What the bloody hell?" He said before Rose pushed him hard, making him stumble a few feet away.

"Don't much appreciate anyone threatening my husband." She replied, stalking toward him, watching with a bit of satisfaction as Buzzer backed off.

"Boss's orders. Us and them, innit?"

"Doesn't have to be." She said calmly. "Can work with 'em, yeah? Remember Cleaves killed your ganger. _Your_ ganger. He went to stop her, and you know what? Think you woulda done the same. She wouldn't have been able to tell the difference at the time. Coulda been you. Suppose in a way, it was."

She hoped that maybe that would make him see reason, and Buzzer looked from her to the Doctor. Then something else caught his eye.

"Us and them." He repeated, then took off running.

Rose turned away, seeing the gangers approaching the Doctor.

"That's how they'll treat us, try and get us when we're down." The Cleaves ganger said to the Doctor. "I wouldn't even trust her." She added, gesturing to Rose with disdain.

"My wife?" He asked, baffled.

"His wife." Cleaves corrected.

"Their wife." Rose interjected, coming up beside the Doctor. "They're both the Doctor, just like you're Cleaves."

"Enough," She said, sounding exasperated. "Won't kill you, you're one of the ones that think of us as alive. You can come with us back inside. Evac's not going to be coming for a bit I think."

"So then why are you out here?" The Doctor asked.

Cleaves smiled. "I could sense you're one of us, aren't you Doctor?" She said, tapping the side of her head.

He looked at Rose, " _Go with it,_ " He told her before turning to Cleaves. "Call me Smith. John Smith."

Cleaves grinned, as if she knew what it really meant for him to take on such an alias, and then gestured for them to follow.

Rose held the Doctor's hand, trying not to attack his mind with the dozens of questions she had for him. She wondered if he had some way to communicate with this double, or if he was relying only on knowing his own mind. A mind that she wasn't in. Would he make different decisions without her mental thrum against his conscious? She hoped not. She hoped that the ganger really believed she loved him equal to the Doctor with her as they were the same man.

They were lead back into the dining hall, and the twitch of a grin on the Doctor's face made Rose wonder if maybe they knew this would happen.

"You all wait here," Ganger Cleaves said as they walked in. "Promised Jen I would meet up with her to do something."

Rose opened her mouth to ask what, but a squeeze of the Doctor's hand on hers stopped her.

With only Dicken and Jimmy in the room with them, Rose pulled the Doctor by that hand off to the side, out of ear shot of the other two, and asked, "Mind filling me in on this plan? Wasn't privy to the info when you'd gone and made two of you, but now I have you acting weird, and I don't have the connection with the other to know what's going on."

"Why didn't you just ask through the bond?" He questioned.

"Us having a staring contest while we communicate probably creep 'em out. At least this way they know to keep to themselves as a married couple has a row. Now, explain." She demanded.

"Well, first, let me apologize for making a copy of myself without … telling you. Must admit that while I'm thrilled you've accepted other me as me right from the get-go, I'm a tad jealous that when we all get out of here I'm going to have to share you with myself. Something tells me there isn't any way I can drop him off on some planet or throw him in a parallel world at this point."

"No, not happening. Do appreciate the apology though."

"Had I been smart, I'd have made another you. One for each." He said with a cheeky grin that Rose glared at. "Right, yes, not the …. The weird thing: I'm establishing myself as a ganger betrayed." He went on to explain. "I need to win their trust here, so when the next part of our plan comes into play, the scheduled phone call, it will be more … effective. I think. I hope. As for the other me, he's … dealing with things."

"You have a connection to him?" Rose asked, glancing around the Doctor to see if they were being watched. They weren't, not really.

"Sort of." The Doctor explained. "It's sort of like with the Meta Crisis, I only had a partial connection because he wasn't quite Time Lord. But what I am getting from other me is panic, and concern. Something's wrong, and I think what might be happening given that the monastery has gotten warmer and there is at least two tons of acid under the building and in the pipes, is that my musing of an explosion are, in fact, correct. And likely set by the very gangers in this room, or they may at least know about it. If they don't, well."

"What happened to them not being violent?" Rose asked through her teeth.

"They aren't, but they are acting _exactly_ as their other selves are: trying to put an end to the complication of a double before one even arises."

"Doctor?" Rory's voice startled the couple, his confusion a stark reminder that he wasn't there when the Doctor duplicate was created. As the Doctor stepped aside to better see their companion, Rory's eyes fell on Rose. "Rose!" He said with relief darting over toward her and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Someone sane, thank god."

Rose couldn't help a chuckle. "So glad you're okay." She said to him.

"Physically maybe," He said as he stepped away, turning toward the doorway as Jennifer and Cleaves entered. Rory's whole demeanor changed, and in their placid, easy-going companion Rose could see a warrior. A fierce fighter who would take on anyone and anything that hurt what he loved. In Rory, she very nearly saw a fellow wolf.

"You created another ganger just to trick me." He spat at Jennifer who smiled proudly. Rory stalked toward her, nearing the table. In a sudden gesture that had both Rose and the Doctor going toward him but not dare interfere, Rory pounded the table hard enough that multiple items tumbled over, smashing against the wood or the floor. "When I found you, you were both flesh and you tricked me into trusting you. Jen's dead, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's gone, Rory." The Doctor said soothingly, and Rose could sense his trepidation at how things were playing out. Another thing not in his plan.

" _There wasn't supposed to be multiple gangers of anyone._ " He confirmed for her alone. " _I didn't even know it was possible._ "

"The shuttle will be here soon to take us away." Jennifer said proudly. "The humans will be melted, as they deserve, and then the factory will be destroyed. Once we get to the mainland, the real battle begins." She declared, and Rose balled her hands into fists. "The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor. Join the revolution." She asked, extending her hand toward him. She refused to look at Rose, and Rose suspected that Jennifer still clung to hope that Rory would abandon Amy and stay with her.

She could see it in the ganger's eyes, same as if she were the real Jennifer. She had a crush, she had it bad, and she wanted what she couldn't have. Maybe Rory would live through Jennifer's plan, should they be unfortunate enough to let it come to pass, if for no other reason than for her to make a ganger Rory.

"I've got to go and get them out." Rory broke the silence, ready to charge out the room when the Doctor slide in front of him and gave him a shove back.

Rose caught her friend, looking at her husband in disbelief.

He looked cold, like he was not just an on coming storm but a blizzard threatening to overwhelm.

"Doctor?" She asked him, earning her that harsh glare.

" _Trust me_ ," He begged, trying to reassure her with love and hope.

"Doctor we can't just let them die." Rory protested.

The Doctor looked at his watch. "Ring, ring." He said.

"Doctor!" Rory and Rose cursed him at once.

"Ring, ring!" The Doctor said, a touch more cruel and panicked at once as the building shook around them.

Rory went to leave again, and Rose let him, wanting to do so herself.

"Stay," The Doctor told Rory, a hand on Rory's chest to stop him. He then caught Rose's eye. "Please." He mouthed.

"Okay," Rory said more calmly, his tension easing.

A moment later, barely a second, the phone in the dining hall rang.

Relief crashed over Rose from the Doctor as he skipped toward the ringing sound. "Ah, that'll be the phone. Somebody get the phone. Jimmy, get the phone. No? Fine, I'll get the phone, stay put." He rambled, barely allowing a breath to pass as he pressed a few buttons on what Rose would guess was the receiver.

A hologram of a little boy in his pajamas popped up in the room.

"Ha! Hello, Adam, I'm the Doctor." He said as he took a couple steps back and looked at the image of the little boy.

"Who's that?" Rory asked her quietly.

"No id…." Rose started to say, then turned to Jimmy.

He stared at the little boy's image with heartbreak and love all at once. Transfixed, like he couldn't take his eyes off him, yet it seemed that the moment Jimmy would finally blink he'd run.

"'S Jimmy's son." She said.

"Anyway, who cares, it's your birthday!" The Doctor continued his conversation with the little boy.

"Yay!" The little man jumped.

"Yay!" The Doctor cheered with him, and Rose smiled sadly. "Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed?"

"Yes, really high." Adam replied.

"I expect chocolate for breakfast. If you don't feel sick by mid-morning, you're doing it wrong. Now, I think you want to speak to Dad?" The Doctor smiled.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, Daddy!" Adam cheered, and everyone turned to Jimmy.

"You'll do, Jimmy. The Doctor said to him. "What does other Jimmy matter now? You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting."

The monastery shook, and with it, Jimmy's revere seemed broken. As his son asked about the noise, he ran from the room.

"You've tricked him into an act of weakness, Doctor." Tiny little Jen rounded on the Doctor the moment Jimmy left.

"No," The Doctor corrected. "I've helped him into an act of humanity. Anyone else like the sound of that? Act of humanity?" He asked the room.

Rose beamed. "Could get behind that, yeah."

"Dicken," Cleaves said, her posture straight and authoritative as she called on the youngest member of the crew. "Drain the acid well in Crypt One." She ordered, and Dicken immediately went about the task.

Rory sighed posture sagging so much he stumbled back a couple steps. He looked to Rose, a grin lightly playing on his lips, and she understood what it all meant.

"Don't you dare!" Jennifer tried to harass Dicken but he was already following Cleaves' command without hesitation.

"I've had it with this." Cleaves said like a parent speaking to a child who's disappointed them. "What's the point in this ridiculous war? Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid. Look at you now. The stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters."

Jennifer simply smiled back, and Rose could see the petulant teenager in her. She could almost see herself and Jackie in Jen and Cleaves' places, arguing over Jimmy Stone, or the outfit she chose to go out dancing with Shareen in. It made Jennifer that much more terrifying when she said, "You can't stop the factory from melting down, boss. I'll take revenge on humanity with out without you."

"It doesn't have to be about revenge. It can be so much better than that." The Doctor tried to sooth, but Rose cringed.

Jennifer's face screwed up in diffience before she turned and ran from the room.

"Oh I'm so glad Jenny came to us full grown." Rose mumbled.

"Meaning?" The Doctor asked.

"Just be glad you didn't need to raise a teenager." Rose retorted.

"Oi, I was a Dad before Jenny, and you know it." The Doctor retorted. "Course I'm not sure if a Gallifreyan teenager is quite the same as a human …."

"Is this really the time to be arguing about this?" Rory asked, his trademark calm back in place as he looked between the two with his hands gesturing an urge for peace.

"Daddy?" Adam's little voice filled the room, causing everyone to look at the ongoing hologram. Rose swallowed nervously as he asked, "Where's my Daddy?"

Before anyone could come up with an excuse, Jimmy, Amy, Cleaves and Dicken in acid suits, and the ganger Doctor walked into the room.

"Daddy it's me!" Adam said as Rose ran to the other Doctor, and Rory to Amy.

Rose threw her arms around the other Doctor's neck, holding him tight. "I'm so glad you're okay." She said to him.

"Was a bit worried for a bit there, not going to lie." He confessed in her hair. "Still, glad proper me was with you, didn't have to worry about you dying that way." He said softly, just for her to hear.

She leaned back and put a hand on his cheek, his mental signature growing stronger in her mind. She could nearly feel his love, and almost feel a way to return it. "You _are_ proper you, yeah? Just smell and taste a bit different."

"How do you mean?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

She smiled. "You're missing that taste of … I dunno, time? Something I noticed on the TARDIS when she was human. It's distinct, a mix of slightly burnt chocolate and reminds me a bit of that metallic smell that comes from an empty kettle on a hot burner. 'Magine once we get you into the vortex it'll come over you."

"Interesting." He said, frowning a bit. "You make it sound unpleasant."

"Not in the least. May not be the best way to say it, but …." Rose shrugged, and he simply smirked.

"We need to move," The other Doctor said, coming up to him.

"Through the crypt, under the monastery?" The Doctor holding on to Rose asked.

"Yes, that. Rory told me about it. And with the way this place is starting to shake, we need to go now."

Rose nodded, turning out of the arms of one Doctor and started following another.

The whole lot of them ran through the monastery, following Rory and the Doctor, one of them down to the tunnels. Rose's heart was pounding, the urgency to leave creeping along her skin and through her veins. She could hear faint mumbles in her mind from the Doctor, murmuring to himself internally as they navigated the maze to an unknown destination.

He stopped short, all of them did, peeking over his shoulder she could see why.

The Flesh formally known as Jennifer was doing what it told the Doctor it wanted to do: it was changing and growing, turning into the monster Cleaves knew it would.

"Run," The Doctor told them, waving them down another corridor. "Run, run, run!" He said, and they did as quick as they could, passing through multiple open doors with heavy looking locks.

"Ooo, the roof's going to give." The Doctor in the lead said, sliding to a stop as he looked at the ceiling above.

"And that's a good thing?" Rose asked, panting a bit, the full on run when she was still healing taking its toll.

He smiled. "Reach out with your mind." He said.

Rose ignored the conversation behind her, the slamming of the door, the cries from someone. She tuned in to her mind until she heard the grumbled hum of a rather annoyed Time Ship growing stronger with every second.

"Here she comes," The Doctor said, but not the one beside her.

Glancing down, Rose noted the black shoes. She wasn't sure when during their run the two seemed to swap positions, but she supposed it didn't really matter.

A beat later, the TARDIS crashed through the roof just meters in front of them, humming with relief and welcome to her thief and her wolf.

"Oh she does like to make an entrance!" The Doctor beside her said, snapping his fingers to open the doors. "Everyone, move."

"Go, go, go, go." The other Doctor waved the others along, jumping back to keep the door closed as something, likely the Flesh, slammed against it. Only Rory, Jimmy, and Dicken moved, dashing inside to safety.

"Get on board. Go." The Cleaves in the acid suit said as she leaned against the door with the ganger Doctor.

"I'm not leaving," The other one said.

"Go." She insisted to herself. With great reluctance, the original Cleaves went inside the TARDIS.

"Hey," Amy said to the Doctor leaning against the door. "Now's our chance."

"I have to stay, hold this door closed. Give you time to dematerialize." He explained.

"What?" Rose said, stepping toward him before a cool hand grabbed hers and pulled her back.

"Don't be crazy." Amy said flatly. "Place is about to blow up. You stay behind, you kill Rose. That's how it works, yeah?"

"Yes," The Doctor clutching Rose's hand said. "That would be how it works."

"So … can't you stay? Can't you and he swap places. You hold the door and he come with us? I mean. You are amazing, and, yeah, I misjudged you. But you're not him. I'm sorry, no matter how many similarities and such, Rose is attached to only one of you, and if one of you has to stay behind …."

"We swapped shoes, Amy." The Doctor by the door said as the Flesh tried to slam through it

"He's my Time Lord." Rose said, gesturing loosely to the man beside her.

"And I'm the Flesh." The other Doctor added with a sad smile.

"You can't be." Amy protested. "You're the real him."

"He's not, Amy." Rose assured. "When your backs were turned, your attention on Rory and Jennifer on the screens, they switched places."

"We didn't mean," The ganger Doctor said, interrupted by another slam against the door.

"We didn't mean for what happened here today to happen. We didn't know that there would be a need to get the humans and gangers to see they were the same. This accident was in the history books, the change for how the world treated Flesh starting from this point, but there were never any details as to why. No one would talk about it. But we needed to know that they really _were,_ in their core, the same."

"I think we managed." The ganger Doctor said smugly.

"I never thought it possible," Amy said as she stepped toward the ganger Doctor.

"What?" He asked, frowning.

"You're twice the man I thought you were." She said, hugging him tight. He said something to her that Rose couldn't hear over the noise in the factor, but Amy pulled back confused.

"Amy, come on!" Rory called from the TARDIS, and Amy backed away before turning and running inside.

"Well, my death arrives, I suppose." The ganger Doctor said flippantly.

Rose moved and pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing every inch of skin she could get to. "You know I really love you, yeah?" She asked, her heart constricting as tears prickled her eyes. She found his signature from the touch telepathy they shared and pushed all the love and acceptance she had for him through it.

He held her tighter, breathed her in as he sent the love back. "It never would have worked." He joked. "Two of us would drive you mad. You'd beg to go live with Jack after a while."

She gave a watery laugh as she let go, giving him one last kiss.

"Your molecular memory can survive this, you know." The Doctor said as she rejoined him. "It may not be the end." He took out his screwdriver and tossed it to the ganger Doctor.

"Yeah, well, if I turn up to nick all your biscuits and your wife, you'll know you were right, won't you."

The Doctors' smiled one last time at each other, then the Time Lord took Rose's hand and ran for the TARDIS.

Once inside, the pair of them worked as a team to get them out of the factory before it exploded.

"Geronimo," The Doctor said before slipping the switch, the engines whirring, and the feeling of pending danger fading with each bob of the time rotor.

Out of danger, safe and away, something inside her snapped, and Rose broke down.

The sob surprised her, made her clutch her mouth to try and stifle it but she simply couldn't. She looked up at her husband, taking him in, assuring herself he was still there before her, but it didn't calm her. The feeling of loss was nearly overwhelming.

"You gonna be alright, Rose?" Cleaves asked in a sort of soothing tone. Rose felt the woman's hand on her back, making soothing circles as Rose struggled to get control of herself.

"She wasn't directly bonded to the other me, he'd have had a different mental signature than I do, but we were still the same man, so she would have had a connection to him each time they touched. Like a partial bond, similar to what we had before our marriage." The Doctor explained to her as much as he did the room. "And it's quite likely he died."

"So does that mean she…?" Amy started to ask.

"No, Pond. Rose's life is tied to mine, and only mine." He reassured.

Taking deep breaths, Rose eventually calmed down. Her heart ached, but not as much as it had initially. She looked over her shoulder at Cleaves to offer a thankful smile before grabbing the console and pulling herself to her feet. The Doctor came over, gently wrapped his arms around her and cradled her head against his chest.

"What about Jimmy and Dicken?" She asked, sniffing.

"The energy of from the TARDIS will stabilize them for good. And speaking of stablizing." He said, taking on hand off Rose and digging around in his pockets. "Ah, here, catch Cleaves." He said, tossing a small vial with something red in it to her.

She caught it, looking at it with confusion. "What is it?" She asked.

"It's small, red, tastes like burnt onions, but it will get rid of your blood clot, no surgery required."

She looked it over in disbelief, then uncapped it and swallowed the whole thing back. She grimaced, shook her head about, but then seemed relieved. "What do I owe you for this?" She asked.

The Doctor grinned. "Nothing big. Just something for the history books."

* * *

 

As the Doctor went about returning Jimmy, Dicken, and Cleaves to where they needed to be, Rose went down to the medbay. Inside, the TARDIS had already laid out the dermal regenerator, some pain relief, and a change of clothes for Rose.

"Thanks, Old Girl," She said, giving the wall a stroke before heading over to the table.

She swallowed the liquid pain relief first, allowing it to work its magic on her still damaged nerves before using the dermal regenerator on her face and hands. It didn't take long, the burned skin already faded to a lesser degree. She then stripped from her borrowed clothes, pulling on leggings and a more snug maroon shirt than she'd normally wear. It gave her pause, looking at the floor where a pair of very sturdy boots rested in wait.

"Why am I dressing like this?" She asked the TARDIS as she picked up the TARDIS blue leather jacket and put it on to keep the chill caused by the burn at bay.

The time ship hummed a sad lament, giving Rose an image of Amy.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. "No."

She scrambled, pulling on the boots and dashing from the room and into the console room just as a scream of agony came from the ginger. She was leaning heavily on Rory as he and the Doctor rushed her back inside from where ever their stop had been, no one else following behind.

"What's going on?" Rose asked as the Doctor shut the doors.

"Doctor, what's happening to her?" Rory demanded, sounding as if this wasn't the first time he asked.

"Contractions." He finally replied, running to the console and putting them into the vortex.

"Contractions?" Rory repeated incredulously as Amy clutched her stomach and cringed.

"She's going into labor, or at least the labor is getting more intense." The Doctor replied. "Likely has been in labor for a while, but it's now so strong she can't help feeling it."

"What do you mean?" Amy gasped, confused. "I can't be. I wasn't … it was negative, and I'm not big and round, and Rory, I don't like this." She whimpered, clutching to her husband with tears in her eyes.

Rose dashed over, rubbing her back, looking apologetically to Rory.

He seemed to understand, then rounded on the Time Lord now that someone else was helping steady Amy. "You're going to have to start explaining some of this."

"Amy thought she was pregnant before you thought she was missing. And she is Rory, she's is missing, but we will find her."

"What are you talking about?" Rory growled.

As calmly as he could, the Doctor said, "There's a reason we were there at the monastery. I had to learn about the Flesh in its early days, it's why I scanned it. I had to know what sort of receptors it had, what sort of connection it had to its controller. Wasn't intending to take you along for the ride, but it happened."

"Doctor …?" Rory said nervously before Amy cried out again.

"It hurts." She whimpered.

"But you're okay." Rory soothed, turning to her for a moment before facing the Doctor again. "Are you saying what I think you are?" He asked plainly. The Doctor nodded once. "Oh God," Rory gasped out, clutching his head as Amy reached out and clutched Rose's hand as tight as she could. "But that means … if she's been missing … and she's … so we …?"

The Doctor nodded again. "Already trying to track her down." He said. "And given what we learned, I'll be as humane as I can. But I need to do this."

Rory nodded now, his chest heaving.

He turned to Amy, that fierce, warrior look back in his eyes as he clutched the ganger of his wife and made her look at him.

"Now you listen to me," He said as Rose stepped away to stand by the Doctor. "We're coming for you. I will lead a bloody army and do what ever it takes to get to you and our baby. I'm sorry I'm not there to help you through it, and I know it's scary and it hurts. But you're strong, the strongest woman I know, and I love you for it. So breathe, Amy, breathe and remember that it doesn't matter where you are or what I have to do to get there, we're coming for you. _I_ am coming for you."

Amy blinked. "But I'm right here." She said in utter confusion.

"No you're not." The Doctor said, plucking up a new screwdriver from the console and pointing it at Amy. "And you haven't been here for a long time."

The whir sounded, and Amy gasped before dissolving.

Rory looked down at his now empty arms, panting as his face twisted in anger. "We're getting her back." He stated.

"Yes we are," The Doctor said with equal determination. "But we need to get a few friends to help us first."


	29. A Call to Arms

Amy Pond was still trying to reconcile the turn of events that lead her to this moment. She had no idea fours hours before that she was going to be a mother, though she had hoped. And now she was holding her newborn daughter after a long, painful, drug-free labor.

Melody Rose Williams-Pond. With strawberry blonde hair and the typical blue eyes of newborn babies, she was the most stunning thing Amy had ever seen. Even if she was repeatedly told she wouldn't see her for long.

They never discussed names, she and Rory. Never once did they discuss the hypothetical children of their future like so many couples do. She just couldn't fathom it, not really. It wasn't until her marriage and the possibility that she could have been did the notion of 'want' even enter her mind. Now she had, and the woman who once was supposed to be someone she trusted had told her she didn't have long with her baby girl. So Amy named her for the two strongest women she knew, to give her strength should the worse happen.

Because she was the ganger Amy, she lived every moment of her life while the real her was nothing more than an incubator. So in one of the few moments she had where it was simply her and Melody and only a handful of guards, she clutched her daughter close with the memory of Rory's words in her mind.

"I wish I could tell you that you'll be safe and cared for and protected," She whispered to her daughter as they neared the window that overlooked the asteroid belt that surrounded where ever it was that they were. "But this isn't the time for lies. Because I don't know if we'll get a happy ending. And if we don't, what you are going to be, Melody, is very, very brave. But not as brave as they'll have to be. Because there's someone coming. I don't know where he is, but trust me, he's on his way. And if they take you from me before he gets here, know that he will go to the end of time and space to find you. He's your Daddy, and he, and your Uncle, and your Auntie will stop at nothing to make sure you find your way back to us."

There was a tap on the door. "Amy," A small voice said, and she turned with a glare toward the one of nurses that had been tasked with caring for her. "I'm sorry, but you do need rest. Your body is recovering."

"No." Amy said, moving to the chair in the room but refusing to set Melody down. "I close my eyes, She'll take my daughter."

The small nurse nodded once, sympathetic despite working for the woman who Amy once told everything to. She lingered in the doorway, even though there were guards to make sure Amy didn't run.

Without thinking about it, Amy began to rock in the chair, listening to the coos of her daughter.

"He'll come for us, baby girl." Amy said as her eyes began to drift shut. "I know he will."

She swore she didn't shut her eyes for more than a second, and even that second wasn't intended. But when Amy sat up she did so with the realization that the small, warm, heavenly bundle she wanted to protect was gone. Gone from the room as well as her arms, and Amy broke.

"Please," She said into her hands, crying as she slide from the chair to the floor. "Please, Rory."

* * *

 

"And you're sure about this?" Rory asked for the third time after the Doctor read off his list to him.

"Yes, Rory." He said. "These are the people Rose and I trust most. The people we can rely on to have our back. Some owe us a favor, some are those we know can face what's ahead without pause. All of them are friends, and who better to have your back than friends?"

"But they aren't our friends." Rory reminded him, moving around the console in his head to toe black gear that looked nearly military. He stood by the Doctor, pointing at the monitor. "Of your list I have met four people. And while, yes, I do trust them to help us because they know Amy, I can't say the same for the rest."

"So what would you have me do, Rory? Hire an army? Round up a bunch of mercenaries who can have their allegiance bought? How do you think _She_ has managed to have the fortress she does? The research she's undergone, the enemies she's already had face me down at the Pandorica? She has money, Rory. All it would take is for her to find who ever is the leader of anyone we hire and offer them more, and we've lost. As much as I hate to admit it, this is war. And if there is anything I know about war is you want people you can trust at your side."

Rory stared the Doctor down, then finally nodded his ascent. "Fine. But there is one person I want added to this list, and you don't know her. But I do, and I know …."

"You don't need to explain, Rory." Rose interjected from her spot on the jumpseat. "We have friends we trust and you don't know, only fair you get one, too."

"Good." He nodded. "And you said the TARDIS will track them all down?" He asked this of the Doctor.

"To preserve time lines, the TARDIS will search out the people we want and find the latest place in their time line we can enter. This is so we don't know the outcome of what's to happen, and don't feel the need to protect anyone but Amy."

"Good." Rory said again. "So let's start with her."

* * *

 

Rory walked down the corridor of the correctional facility, boots clomping and making noise, psychic paper in his hand to flash to any guard who tried to stop him. He glanced in each cell, seeing the various women look up at him curiously or intrigued, a few shouting some things that may have made him blush under normal circumstances.

When he got to the unit he was looking for he stopped, waiting to for the prisoner to look up.

She did, and when she met his eye she smiled.

"Quite the get up." Mels said, looking him over.

"Could say the same." He said. "But I'm not here to talk pleasantries, I need your help."

Mels hooted a laugh. "Still doing time for stealing that car." She said, gesturing to the walls of her cell.

"Yeah, about that. This will be a temporary leave. An unauthorized, temporary leave." He said.

"Oh?" Mels asked, more amused than intrigued. "How's that going to work?"

Rory reached into his pant pocket and pulled out the borrowed sonic, aiming it at the lock like the Doctor instructed and hitting the button. It whirred a bit, then the lock clicked open. He slid the door open, and Mels stood up in astonishment.

"Bloody hell, Rory." She said as she came closer.

"Amy's been taken," He explained. "And not just her, but our baby. So here's the deal, you come with me, help me get her back, experience what might just be the biggest thrill of your life, and then we'll return you here. And I will work on getting the Doctor to expedite your release. You remember the Doctor, don't you Mels?"

"Hot guy with the hot wife and the blue box from your wedding? Hard to forget him."

"He's helping orchestrate this rescue mission. But I need to know now: in or out?"

Mels smiled. "In."

Without another word, Rory motioned for her to follow. He walked determinedly, checking behind him every few seconds to make sure Mels was right behind. He lead her to a mens room, working the sonic on the door and unlocking it. He pushed the door open, revealing not only the stalls, urinals, and sinks lining the walls of the stark room, but the giant blue Police Box inside.

He led Mels toward it, and pushed open the door.

She hesitated. "Seriously?"

"Same blue box we vanished in, isn't it?" He asked.

She couldn't do more than shrug at that, then stepped inside.

"Oh Bloody hell, it's massive on the inside!" She exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked up at the ceiling and around the walls.

"Welcome to the TARDIS, Melody Jones." The Doctor greeted her. "Please follow the lights to your temporary room where you will find a change of clothes."

"Yeah, okay," She said, walking toward the corridor as if in a trance.

"That's your pick?" The Doctor asked after she was gone.

"Problem?" Rory asked.

"None!" The Doctor countered. "Better still, she did the thing! The thing you didn't do. Improved it, really. Massive! It's massive on the inside, I like that!"

"Where now?" Rory asked, cutting to the chase.

The Doctor flipped the switch he had been standing beside, sending the TARDIS on her way.

* * *

 

He was in need of a break. An honest to goodness break. Tim had been staring at his computer screen, his notes, and while he was making a lot of progress in his work, he was in need of an adventure. Or at least a trip to breathe different air, preferable in a different time. Something that didn't have him chewing his pen.

He'd only been home bound for two months, and while the odd, complicated visits and trips with Jenny were great, he wanted more than just what thrill she offered. He needed to be on board the TARDIS, the real TARDIS, bad. The Doctor may have gotten him home a bit late last time, in the middle of winter, but he couldn't blame the guy. Tim was sure regenerating was probably pretty painful, and something said operating heavy machinery, let alone a TARDIS, wasn't recommended.

He startled when the engines sounded, stirring the pages of his notebook and nearly toppling over his half full paper coffee cup.

"Shit, ask hard enough." He mumbled to himself as he watched it materialize.

When it was fully formed, the doors opened, and Wolf Girl stepped out looking a bit too combat ready to make him comfortable.

"Something tells me this isn't a social visit." He said bluntly.

"Amy's in trouble." She replied.

He frowned. "Who?"

She blinked, confused, looked back at the TARDIS and then at him. "Amy Pond. You met her before? With her husband, Rory?"

Tim shook his head. "Can't say I have." He said suspiciously.

"Blimey, she was supposed to land later in your time line." Rose cursed.

"Wolf Girl," Tim said slowly, feeling uneasy as Rose worried her lip. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the TARDIS wasn't supposed to land where we …." She stopped, stared at him, frowning. "She always takes us where we need to go." She said as if thinking out loud.

"What?"

"Not important." Rose waved it off. "Point is, we need you. You fought along side me once, against the Toclafane and the Master's men. I need you to fight along side me again."

"I'm a writer." He reminded her, wiggling the pen in his hand. "And while they say the pen is mightier than the sword, I seriously doubt it will do me any good. That was war, with guns and shit."

"So's this." She said without a trace of humor.

A chill ran down Tim's spine. "Doc hates guns." He said bluntly.

"That's how bad it is." Rose said. "Amy … they didn't just take her, they took her baby. And the Doctor thinks that they may have done something to one or both of them. I don't know if you remember the space station with Donna, where we were in that dream state, but…."

He didn't need reminding. And it wasn't just the memories of the woman and her sleeping gas that flooded his mind, but other visions as well. Things he had seen in the Library when they met River Song/Melody Pond. He knew, suddenly, that this was something he was meant to be a part of.

"I do." He said instantly, meeting Rose's eye. He stood up, slamming the pen in his hand down on the open notebook. "And you don't need to tell me more. I'm with you guys."

"Good." She said, giving him a weak smile before waving him over and leading him into the TARDIS.

When he stepped inside he paused. "Umm … this is new." He said, taking in the much more sci-fi looking console room that was more blue and orange than green and blue like before. He then looked around the room, seeing absolutely no one he knew.

Only the woman with the dreds didn't look at him with recognition.

"Tim!" The man with the floppy hair and the bow tie greeted him. He looked like a Victorian gentleman, or a really dorky professor.

"Wow." He said, coming up the ramp and looking him over. "What the hell happened to your wardrobe choices?"

The Doctor, because who else in the Universe would look like that, frowned. "What do you mean? I look cool."

"No, you really don't, man." Tim said with a slight chuckle to his voice.

"So the purple doesn't work for you then?"

"Storm boy, _nothing_ about this works for you. What happened to the suits with sneakers, and the sweet-ass ties? And the hair? Really?"

The Doctor frowned even more, glancing over Tim's shoulder to what had to be Wolf Girl.

"Our TARDIS has determined that _this_ is the place in the time line we needed to get Tim." Rose explained. "He doesn't know Amy or Rory, so we'll have to try and forget we saw him that one time. Let things happen as they're meant to."

"So this is the first time you've seen me … as _me?"_ The Doctor asked.

"Yep," Tim said, popping the 'p' in the way of the previous Doctor.

"Wait, I thought we met him much, much older last." The man all in black asked, pointing to Tim with confusion. Rory, Tim knew upon seeing him.

"Not that I know of." Rose said.

"I don't really remember it either." The Doctor said. "Which means it's likely not something we're supposed to know. Not yet, anyway."

And with that confusing statement, Rory nodded once.

"Change of clothes should be in your old room," Rose said, putting a hand on Tim's shoulder. "We'll explain more when we get everyone rounded up."

"Whatever you say, Wolf Girl." Tim said, turning and heading toward the corridor as the Doctor threw the dematerialzation switch. "Do me a favor, Old Girl. Show me where I'm supposed to go?" He asked the TARDIS. She hummed in reply, showing him the way in his mind. "Thanks, you sexy thing." He said, imitating the old Doctor once more with a click of the tongue, earning an amused chiming-chuckle from the time ship.

* * *

 

River stood in the corridor of the hotel, peeking in to the reception instead of actually going inside. She'd been in there, of course, she was there through the whole wedding. Her hair was pinned up, and she was wearing the awful red dress she and her mother mocked together but bought anyway because that was what was in vogue in 1971 on Earth.

Her mother wore one similar in Purple, and River watched her dance with the groom while wearing her brightest smile. Her mother's hair was still that wonderful shade of ginger with only a few grays setting in, and she somehow didn't have many lines on her face.

As River watched with a happy heart, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"I told you, Dad. I will dance with you _after_ An…." She stopped as she turned around, seeing who she expected but not at the right age. "He-hello, Rory." She stammered out.

"Oh, good, you know me." He said with a nod. "Makes things easier then. We need you." He cut to the chase.

River looked him over, taking in his simplistic clothing all in black. "Amy." She said.

"How did you know?" Rory asked, taken aback.

"I heard the stories." She explained with a shrug, heart heavy. "I just didn't …." She shuddered, looking over Rory's shoulder at her father, aged much more than his younger self and making sure to stay in the shadows off to the side. "I'll be there in a moment." She said, giving Rory's arm a squeeze. "Where's the TARDIS?"

"Over there, round the corner on the right." Rory gestured.

"Go on ahead, I won't be long." She promised, and Rory nodded before heading over. River watched him go, sensing her father coming toward her now that his younger self was gone. "You never told me I was there."

"I never could," He said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "We didn't even fully comprehend who you were even with the keepsake. I wasn't sure if the day would happen for you in our life time, but when we saw you show up at the house in that dress, we knew." He smiled at her, the laugh lines around his eyes going deeper. "You have your vortex manipulator?" He asked. River lifted her arm, the sleeve of her dress falling enough to flash the device with her favorite lover's initials on it. "Good, the Doctor's never been the most reliable driver."

"I'll be back before you know it." River promised.

"You'd better. Keep telling us you'll never get married so I expect to dance with you at _someone's_ wedding. Might as well be your brother's."

River chuckled. "I'll make sure Rose does the driving, then." She gave him a peck on the cheek then headed off for the TARDIS.

She snapped her fingers and headed inside the opened doors. It had been a bit since she'd seen it with the particular desktop it had. Even more so, it felt strange to be looking at so youthful a Tim dressed much like Rory was. And Auntie Mels, a woman who was more name than presence, sitting on a jumpseat and staring at the time rotor.

"Glad you could join us, River." The Doctor said, and she found him at the console throwing the switch.

She smiled, walked up the ramp, looking about. "This isn't everyone?" She asked, knowing from memory that they were quite a few short.

"No," Rose said. "We still have a few people to get. Change of clothes should be …."

"Don't worry," River said as she put a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I'll know where to go."

* * *

 

The trenches were muddy, smelled of blood and sweat, and were filled with terrified men.

Jack, who had lost count of his age sometime ago, had been through enough wars that this didn't affect him in the least. The remarks from some of the soldiers, both behind his back and to his face, were a different story.

Still, he was Jack Harkness, he could turn on the charm even with gray hair and a few more wrinkles than he cared to have at any point in time.

"This is madness," The soldier next to him said as he clutched his gun. The young man's lips quivered as another bolt fired overhead.

"This is nothing." Jack shrugged it off. "German's may not have been quite as advanced, but I can say that World War One was far worse than this. Of course, going through World War Two twice wasn't a walk in the park."

The young man stopped whimpering and slowly turned to look at Jack. "World War Two? But that was thousands of years ago."

"Look good for my age, don't I?" Jack asked with a wink.

Before he or the young man could say anything, the sound of the TARDIS landing behind them drowned out the fire of the opposing side.

When the doors opened, River stepped out, dressed in head to toe black, arms folded across her chest. "Hello, Sweetie." She said to Jack.

"Did you steal it? Or are you and Rosie here to join me in defending the planet and the human race?"

"Well technically she and I aren't quite human, so I suppose we wouldn't be on the same side as you, Jack." She countered with smirk.

"At this rate, neither am I. But this is World War five, and if it comes down to aliens or humans, I say humans get rights over the planet they came from." Jack countered with ease as if they were discussing something as simple as tea.

"Would you like to talk politics or would you like to come inside and be a hero? Still war we're about to wage, but with a far different outcome."

Jack was about to counter with another flirty remark when he stopped himself. River, while her usual sexy self with that adorable smirk that could get her whatever she wanted, was pleading with her eyes for him.

"Is this …?" She nodded. "Well then," He said as he disarmed his gun and stood up. "Better go be the hero you always said I was."

As he strode toward the TARDIS, he heard the young man stammer and stutter. With one last smile over his shoulder for the poor kid, Jack entered the time ship.

"Looks like you guys have quite the mini army going on." Jack commented as he looked around. He smiled at Rory who frowned but nodded. He nodded to Tim who gave him a salute, and then his eyes found Rose and the Doctor who both gaped at him. "Oh, you've never seen me look this middle aged."

"Seeking out late spots in the time line." Rose replied as if only half paying attention.

"If you don't mind." River said after his longest, and dearest friends still gaped at him in shock. "Perhaps we should go pick up your daughter now."

"Right," The Doctor said. "Yes, Jenny."

As the Doctor, Rose, and River worked on getting the TARDIS to their next spot, Jack made his way over to the only person in the room he didn't recognize. "Captain Jack Harkness," He said with his best grin as he picked up her hand gave it a kiss.

"Mels," She replied. "Beginning to think we're planning on burning this place down to get Amy. Some serious hotness happening around here between the Doctor Bloke, the other American, and now you."

"Canadian." Tim said, from where he sat on the jumpseat. "Canadian, actually."

"And I'm from all over." Jack said with a wink.

"If you don't mind, Jack, would really prefer you don't flirt with her." River asked over her shoulder.

"What's your problem with it?" Mels asked.

River laughed. "Oh Melody Jones, if you only knew."

At the name drop, Jack understood. "Sorry, beautiful." He said to her with a wink. Then, leaning in for only Mels to hear, he added in conspiratorially, "She's the second closest thing I've had to a true spouse in my long life. Better not make her angry."

"Well, if you change your mind." Mels said as she looked him over appreciatively.

"Jack, please. Not the time." The Doctor replied as the TARDIS landed.

"Never is with you around." Jack added, though he knew the Doctor was right.

River's future was at stake.

* * *

 

Jenny was sitting on a bench a good distance away from the people she was watching. Melody was off on her own for a bit, and the half-Time Lord was starting to feel a bit lonely. And when she was lonely, she liked to watch them where they wouldn't see her: the family she gave up.

From this distance, and with the other woman's back turned, she could almost pretend she was crossing her own time line to witness a family moment again from the outside. Of watching her little girl climb a different, seemingly more difficult portion of the playground equipment.

Part of her wanted to run over, to plant a kiss on Tim and cheer on her daughter in place of the blonde who was doing just that. The other part wanted her to run in the opposite direction as fast as her legs would carry her. She couldn't imagine settling down, not in the way Tim had wanted to for Olivia's sake. She couldn't even stop running and getting into trouble when she was thirteen months along and ready to pop.

Jenny sighed, quietly cursing her creation for lacking so much. Grateful as she was to have parents who loved deeply and completely, it didn't help her when it came to caring for someone but having no idea how to be what they need you to be. A solider, those instincts were still strong even when dormant, but motherhood? What was the need for maternal instincts when you weren't expected to live more than a day or two at most?

She heard a TARDIS begin to materialize, and panic shot through her as she noted Tim seemed to hear it as well. Getting up from the bench and whirling around in one, smooth motion, she watched her parents' TARDIS come in to view. Her Dad was going to end up trying to talk her into being more involved again, his Scottish accent making him sound more than a bit disapproving, while her Mum gave her a sympathetic look that would actually make her feel worse.

It surprised her to see her Dad's previous body pop out.

"Hello, Darling." He greeted cheerfully. "Need your help, if you don't mind. Normally not one to ask you to dig up those old soldier traits of yours, but there's been a bit of a … situation. A sort of abduction."

"Umm … sure thing, Dad." Jenny replied, heading toward her father's TARDIS. She hadn't spoken to this version of him for a couple hundred years, and it felt odd. She could liken it to muscles not being used for a long time. This Dad was more fun loving, though wasn't the fondest of Tim, not like the other one. The one she was used to now, the one that had been there through her whole pregnancy, who was constantly reminding her of how she'd never get lost time with Olivia back.

Inside was just as strange, and not merely because the console room was so different. Melody merely smirked and shrugged, and Jenny had to snort at the reality that they couldn't even do their own thing without somehow still finding trouble together. Her mother was focused on the console, as was Uncle Jack. It seemed strange to see Rory so young, and she had no clue who the woman he was talking to was. When she saw Tim sitting on the jumpseat, giving her a lazy smile and a small wave, her hearts stopped.

She moved toward him slowly, pausing beside him before moving to where the controls she'd man when with her parents were.

"Who's watching Olivia? Liz?" She asked him, looking at her feet.

"What are you on about, Goldilocks?" He asked, and she looked up at him to see his apprehension.

Goldilocks. How long had it been since she heard him call her that?

Too long.

"Right-o." Her Dad broke her out of her thoughts, and she instantly moved to her spot on the console. "Prepare yourselves, most of you likely haven't met our next guests."

* * *

 

Rose and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS together, taking in the den of the house they had given up. It had undergone some changes, as would be expected when someone takes over as home owner, but all in all, it still looked the same.

"You're back early, ma'am." They heard Jenny Flint say down the hall just as the main doors closed. "Another case cracked, I assume?"

Rose looked at the Doctor with a frown but he merely shrugged.

"Send a telegram to Inspector Abberline of the Yard. Jack the Ripper has claimed his last victim." Vastra replied.

Rose and the Doctor both dropped their jaw at the same time.

" _Oh my god, so that's what happened to him."_ She said through their bond.

" _All the years I traveled I never did find out."_ He considered that thought, his face screwing up in a pensive manor. " _Although maybe I did know but had to forget._ "

"How did you find him?" They heard Jenny ask as they had their silent conversation.

"Stringy, but tasty all the same. I shan't be needing dinner." Vastra replied, and Rose audibly smacked her hands over her mouth. Whether from the mental image the Doctor dredged up of Vastra having at a tunnel worker making her nauseated, or from the mere shock of how the greatest mysteries in all of England truly came to close, Rose wasn't sure.

"Congratulations, ma'am." Jenny said, sounding truly pleased. "However, just before you arrived, someone else had. In the den, I believe."

Rose and the Doctor immediately pulled themselves together as Vastra and Jenny's footsteps came toward them.

The door to the den opened, and Vastra gave pause before straightening her dress and coming inside.

"I can honestly say, I wasn't expecting you this evening. Though I do hope it's not to tell me I've altered some point in time I shouldn't have."

"Oh, no, blimey, Jack the Ripper stumped England for ages." The Doctor said. "The world, even. No one knew who he was, so I suppose it doesn't matter how he came to the end of his … you know what? Not important. What is important, is a thing you said when we gave you the house. You said you owed us, hoped you could repair it somehow. I'm calling in that owed debt."

"What do you need?" She asked.

"A dear friend of ours was taken some time back." Rose replied. "We only just found out where she was, and that she was pregnant."

"Was?" Vastra asked suspiciously.

"She has had the baby. It's complicated to explain how we know, what with flesh avatars and terrible labor pains." The Doctor rambled.

Vastra stared him down, her eyes darkening like the predator she really was. "A woman was taken, along with her child. No one does that without truly malicious intent. Don't call this the favor owed, Doctor. I will help you with great pleasure."

"Shall I pack the cases, then, ma'am?" Jenny asked.

"Yes," Vastra said, "and the swords."

"We'll wait in there." The Doctor pointed to the TARDIS behind them.

Vastra nodded, and she and Jenny were out the door.

"You get the feeling that Vastra is more used to our stopping by?" Rose asked her husband as they headed in.

"Yes, seems that way, doesn't it?" He replied as they stepped into the console room, everyone looking past them expectantly. "Alright, everyone, so we are clear before our guests come aboard. One of them is a Silurian. Homo Reptilia, which is a fancy way of saying humanoid reptile. Now, please, do not stare. She's a bit tetchy about that, and while Rose and I are informed she has recently ate, that doesn't mean she won't become a bit peckish. Jenny is all human. Not our Jenny, blonde Jenny, the Jenny about to come aboard. Which I just realized will become quite confusing." The Doctor rambled, hands moving all about as he went.

"Could just call Goldielocks 'Jen'." Tim suggested, making Jenny beside him tense and blush a bit.

"Need be, that's what we'll do." The Doctor pointed at Tim before giving him a thumbs up, heading up the ramp to his spot at the console.

There were the five of them flying now. The Doctor and Rose, of course, and she insisted Jack join Jenny and River.

Just as they all were preparing for their next destination, Vastra and Jenny walked in, both changed in Victorian style trousers and blouses beneath waistcoats. Both looked gorgeous, warrior women at their finest, and both carried a small case in each hand.

"Well," Vastra said, taking everyone in. "Certainly smells of human in here, with just a touch of alien."

"Certainly a lot bigger than I expected." Jenny said as she looked about the room. "Good thing, too. Be awfully cramped with this many of us."

"And there's still two more to come. Well, I say two, but it may just be three. Though I doubt that." The Doctor said before throwing the switch. "Onward. Gereonimo!"

* * *

 

"You do it." The Doctor insisted.

"Why me?" Rose asked as she headed to the doors anyway.

"Because he respects you," Insisted the Doctor.

Rose rolled her eyes, opened the TARDIS doors, and was thankful she didn't yelp when she startled.

She supposed they had landed a minute ago, plenty of time for Strax to waddle over toward the time ship in preparation to knock, greet, or threaten.

He offered Rose a smile, or something very similar to it.

"Ah! It's the invincible girl! Is this the day you and the Doctor come to tell me my penance is paid?"

"In a way." Rose replied. "We need your help, your skills. May even be a bit of crushing the enemy on the battlefield."

"I will gladly be of assistance. Although I do hope that if I am to fight the same species that I am aligned with there will be a distinguishing wardrobe."

Rose stepped inside to allow Strax to waddle in, then looked to her husband at the controls.

"Well," He said. "One last stop."

* * *

 

"Stop whining," Martha teased Mickey as he sighed once more. "A holiday is not the end of the world."

"A holiday, right." Mickey retorted, taking a sip of his beer. "Not so sure that's exactly what Kate put me on."

He looked down at his healed but still unsteady ankle. He knew he wasn't a young man anymore. But at forty-three, he wasn't exactly old either. But working with UNIT in the field had often meant putting oneself in danger. And the alien shot that hit him did an excellent job at destroying his ankle and keeping him confined to a desk for the better part of the last year as he recovered. He didn't limp anymore, and he could run at nearly at the same speed he could before. But Mickey was still unable to reenter the field, and when it was becoming clear that paperwork was starting to stress him more than they high stress situations the field put him in, Kate Stewart, head of Unit, told him to take leave.

He watched his boys run around the yard as Martha went toward the play house to check up on their daughter. He did enjoy spending time with his family, but he was getting restless. And with all the saved time off he accumulated over years of service, well … he was wasn't sure he was going to be able to go through the next two months without something more exciting than little league football.

When the grind of the engines cut through the yard, Mickey glanced over at his wife. Martha looked just as confused as he felt, having only seen the Doctor and Rose the day before.

"What the bloody hell, Boss? Forget your sunglasses or something?" He called out to the TARDIS when it was fully formed, taking another drink before setting his beer down on the table and standing up to greet them.

When the doors opened, and the Doctor stepped out, Mickey wasn't entirely sure what to say. Because it was, indeed, the Doctor, but he'd never seen _this_ man before.

"Changed your face again." Mickey said evenly.

"Suppose I have." The Doctor said, his voice seeming more light and airy than before. "I need your help."

"Got a computer problem?" Mickey teased.

The Doctor shrugged. "In a way. More like … well, it's more like I need your experience as a solider. I'd ask Martha as well, but with MJ, Tyler, and Frankie, I couldn't vary well put both their parents at risk."

Mickey squared his shoulders, lifted his chin. "What's happening?"

"Friend of ours was taken, her and her baby, and we are planning on sneaking on the base where they are, and taking them back." The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at as someone stepped out of the TARDIS. A man, slight, definitely not a solider, dressed all in black. "This is Rory, it was his wife Amy."

"Any friend of the Doctor's a friend of ours." Mickey said as he reached out and shook Rory's hand when the man was close enough to do so. "And from one father to another, I'd take on an army to get my wife and children back, too."

"You just make sure you bring him back safe." Martha said, coming up behind Mickey. He looked at her, seeing the slight concern in her eyes but the certainty that he should go evident in her body language. "And don't tell Kate. She finds out you've been in the field of sorts, she'll have you on leave even longer."

"Yes, ma'am." Mickey replied, giving Martha a kiss before calling the kids over. With a wave. They dashed over, stopping at his feet. "You guys be good for your mum. Gonna head off with the Doctor and Aunt Rose for a bit. Might be gone five minutes, might be longer." He said, ignoring the lump in his throat at the mere thought of "never". He kissed his kids on the head, the boys protesting noisly though didn't shove him off.

He then stood, straightened his shirt, and allowed the Doctor to lead the way inside the TARDIS.

Kate could sod off. This wasn't work, not really. This was a companion going on one more adventure.

* * *

 

"Here is what we know." The Doctor said to the ten other people in the room aside from his wife. "She, or Ms Smith, is holding Amy on an asteroid base in the Rasoft galaxy known as 'Demon's Run'."

"Sounds lovely." Mels said, having finally seemed to come to terms with the aliens in the time and space ship, as well as the TARDIS herself.

"Well, the name could be a bit more cheerful, but it was once home to a religious group known as the Silence. Leader went mad, killed them all. Or so we think. Supposedly we'd forget seeing them as soon as we turned our back. Regardless, place was abandoned for centuries then suddenly it's brimming with life. I followed the signal from Amy's flesh avatar to a set time and place and there it was. So, I have had some people take a look, drop us line, send us word, on who and what is heading out that way."

"People not here?" Rory asked, eyes narrowed at the Doctor. "Who was willing to spy for us but not fight with us?"

"Well, a young girl, for instance, who was a bit … mad. A sort of scientist, if you will. She attempted to experiment on Jen not long after she was born."

"Gridin?" Jenny asked, causing Tim to straighten up as well, staring at the Doctor slack jawed.

"Yes, well, after a couple centuries with the Shadow Proclamation, she's eased up a bit. And, as a thank you for informing her of what happened to Karn, as well as for helping her get sorted, she was willing to act as a bit of a … spy." The Doctor smirked, his ego growing to the point that Rose was starting to feel it as if it were her own.

"And what is she doing, exactly?" Tim asked.

"She's on the medical staff. But, as such, she's been there for quite a while, has seen what's going on. We are right, _She_ does have money, and Gridin has informed us that our Ms Smith has paid the Clergy a handsome fee to pretend what she's doing is for the greater good."

River scoffed, chuckling to herself and shaking her head. When she realized everyone was looking at her, she waved it off. "Don't mind me. I just find some results of time travel horribly amusing."

"Right." The Doctor said. "Moving on. She also has a few mercenaries thrown in there. The Clergy do have a conscious, of course, so she needed people that would kill on sight if need be.

"So, take a look around you. Study one another's faces if you aren't already familiar with one another. These are your allies, your only allies. There is no one else in the Universe Rose and I trust more to have our backs, as well as the Ponds', than you lot. Some of you owe us a favor, yes, but we view most all of you as our family.

"We will be out numbered, maybe as much as ten to one. We never told you this as we asked you to come along, but if you want to leave we can drop you back where and when we took you from, no hard feelings. But tell us now."

The console room remained silent, no one showing the slight bit of hesitation.

With that, the Doctor nodded. "Those of you who lived aboard the TARDIS for any amount of time in any point in time, your room will be ready. For those of you who have not, she will guide you a room where you may rest, read a book, watch something, do what you need to do to prepare yourself in the next couple hours. The TARDIS will provide you with a capsule to help you sleep for as long as your species requires for optimum rest. When we wake, we'll have a quick meal and then it's off to Demon's Run. We'll discuss who will do and take what on route. But I do know one thing, absolutely one thing, and that is who ever _She_ is, _She_ will have not expected us. And _She_ will never knew what hit her."


	30. When Good Men Go to War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This is war(ish) so it's fair to expect some violence and such. However, I'm more concerned about the suicide mention within

_Demon's run, where good men go to war.  
_ _Faith will shake, and strength will break  
_ _Where good men go to war._

_Traps are set, and foes are met,  
_ _A threat to those they love will let_  
Good men go to war.

* * *

Amy sat in the same chair she had collapsed in. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, whether it was five minutes or an hour. Hell, it may have been a day for all she cared. Her daughter was taken from her, and she was certain that she would never get her back at this point.

The same, small nurse from before walked in the room, gave her a small smile, and brought a tray of food over to her.

"You've been sustained with fluids this whole time." She said as she set the small portion down. "Your stomach will likely need to re-expand."

"Doesn't matter." Amy said, eyes falling to her lap as she shook her head.

The nurse regarded her, Amy could feel those sympathetic eyes on her. The nurse knelt in front of her, took Amy's hands, and waited for her to meet her gave. "He's coming." The nurse mouthed. When Amy merely starred, the nurse clarified. "The Doctor."

Not a word was actually spoke, and when Amy looked up, she realized the guards weren't paying them the slightest bit of attention. But the nurse, who ever she was to know such a thing, was positioned so her back was to those men with guns, and there was no way they'd know what she had said.

After some time, the nurse asked aloud, "You alright?"

"No." Amy said, shaking her head. "But I will be."

"Your daughter, she's strong. Different. You must have a great love for her father to risk what you likely would have to bear her." The nurse said, studying Amy intently.

"What's your name?" Amy asked her, wondering if maybe this was a past companion of the Doctor.

"Gridin." She replied. "Gridin Karn. I was told I would need a last name, I named it for my planet."

"Your planet?" Amy frowned.

She nodded. "It was destroyed in the Time War, much worse than _Her_ planet was." Gridin said with a sneer. "But some people can't see the greater picture. Some people can't understand that we need to count our losses, no matter how personal. And sometimes the blame is not where you place it."

"You!" One of the guards snapped, and while Amy startled, Gridin sneered further. "I think you've been here long enough."

Gridin nodded once before standing, looking to Amy. "This is likely the last time I will see you."

"Thank you." Amy said, watching as this strange woman left the hospital-like room she was being kept in. When the door slide shut behind Gridin and the guards, Amy stood and looked out the window at that same asteroid belt she had gazed at with Melody in her arms.

"Hurry up, Doctor." Amy said softly to herself.

* * *

 

"I'm genuinely surprised the Doctor had the ability to buy the ships he did." Rory remarked as Rose guided the cloaked space craft to the asteroid belt where the base known as Demon's run was.

"Dorium owed the Doctor a favor. Big one," Rose replied. "Even I don't know exactly what the Doctor had done for him."

"I thought there were no secrets in your marriage. No possibility for one." Rory commented almost absently.

"He's lived nine hundred years longer than I have. Can say even after a hundred years you do enough and see enough that there's no way to share it all. And our minds are linked but they aren't open to one another all the time. Not in the way that I can just poke in that big ol' brain of his. Complicated." Rose glanced at the man beside her. "Amy didn't tell you, because she didn't think she was. Not anymore. Think maybe she was gonna when she got back from that shoot she went missing from."

"Yeah," Rory nodded. "But I just …."

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Rose scolded.

"Hard not to. Not the best Dad, kicking things off. Didn't know I was going to be one, so we have … nothing. Not a thing. No nappies, bassinet, blankets, anything."

"We get your baby and Amy back, doubt you'll have to worry much about those things." Rose glanced over and offered him a smirk and a wink.

He smiled, barely, but Rory did relax more in his seat.

"Bad Wolf, Centurion. Come in, Bad Wolf, Centurion." The Doctor's voice crackled over the comm system.

Rose rolled her eyes, smiling to herself out of nerves and the ridiculous of her husband as she pressed the talk button and opened the microphone on their end.

"I get Bad Wolf, but why the Centurion?" She asked.

"Well, he impersonated a Roman soldier. Seemed better than calling him 'The Roman'." The Doctor replied, and even with the distance between them, Rose sensed his pout. "But never mind that, are you in position yet?"

"'Bout ten minutes out, I think." Rose replied. "How about you, Captain?"

"Me and the Mouse are just about there. We'll drop down and break into the control room, lower the shields for the rest of you." Jack replied.

"The Mouse?" Mickey gripped.

"Coulda called you the Tin Dog." Rose teased.

"Not funny." Mickey snapped back, and even Rory snorted at that.

"Get there quickly, Captain. I was hoping to make a grand entrance." The Doctor gave his input.

"Hoping? Grand entrance is the plan." Vastra reminded. "A distraction to ensure the rest of us get to where we're needed."

"Yes, well, I was hoping for a bit more flare than simply walking in and saying 'here I am, look at me, I'm a target.'"

"Isn't that what you do anyway?" Rose grumbled.

"So remember," The Doctor said, ignoring her. "Once the Captain and the Mouse lower the shields, The Pasternoster ladies will come in, stand guard on them. The trio and the song …."

"Melody." Mels interjected.

"Gets confusing otherwise." River added.

The Doctor sighed. "Fine, the trio and Melody will then come down, guard the hanger, ensure when we get Amy and the baby we'll have people in place by our ships in the hanger to get them out safe. The Blood-thirsty Potato will be with me. Now, all your weapons are set to stun. If, and only if, there is an _absolute_ need to do otherwise, do not use lethal force. These men and women are being paid to be our enemy."

"We're in the base's atmosphere," Jack said. "Ejecting in 5, 4, 3, 2 …."

The loud bang of the ejection from the ship came over the comm, and Jack and Mickey were cut off from communication.

"Roman, Bad Wolf, you know what to do." The Doctor said.

"Be safe." Rose replied.

"Try my best."

With that, the communications went silent.

"Tell me again, how's the Doctor going to land the TARDIS without making so much noise?" Rory asked.

"He's not." Rose replied. "We considered this last night, that She'd likely have some way to block the TARDIS from materializing on the base. Mean, she blocked her with the Pandorica, so 'magine she had some sort of rig set up here, too. Doctor landed the TARDIS on Jack's and Mickey's ship. Instead of having it auto pilot, Doctor's gonna land the ship with the others, TARDIS in the cargo hold, ready to shuttle us all to safety when the time comes."

"Right. Okay, makes sense." Rory nodded, huffing out a breath.

Rose glanced at him, seeing the jumble of emotions playing out on his face and in the way he fidgeted. Equal parts man waiting for the doctor to tell him the baby had arrived and young soldier heading into his first battle.

"If it's a boy, what do you think you'll call him?" Rose asked.

"Augustus Brian. Our Dads, mine and Amy's. If it's a girl … I think Tabetha, after Amy's mother."

"You guys discussed this?" Rose asked.

"No," Rory replied, and she had to chuckle at it. "No, but I always thought, if we did, that's how it would go." He sighed. "You and the Doctor ever …?"

"Infertile." Rose replied. "Jenny was made."

"Right, Amy told me. But … did you ever think of adopting others? Or, maybe, before the whole thing, did you discuss that sort of thing?"

"Never really even discussed 'us' properly until after we found out that I wasn't able to have 'em. Knew I'd give him a family if he wanted one, but wasn't something I considered, you know? Didn't even name Jenny. Neither of us had. Our friend Donna did."

"Well … that's odd." Rory noted, then leaned forward. "I think that's our signal." He said just as Rose watched a light flicker around the base.

"Here we go." She said, her high-processing brain working just as it did on take off in helping Rose pilot the ship like she knew what she was doing.

The landing was smooth, the ship docking right next to the others as they shimmered back into view now that they were out of the air space.

Everyone filed out of their ships, nearly all dressed in all black. Without a word, River went over to the computer systems, typed something in, and quickly scanned the text before switching to a map. "Here's what we'll need." She said, gesturing to it and stepping out of the way.

Rose felt something slide into her jacket pocket. "Be safe." The Doctor whispered into her ear before heading off to his station, Strax right behind him.

Rose watched him for a moment before she went up and studied the map. She then turned to Rory. "Let's go get your little one."

* * *

 

Jack and Mickey landed on the base's air-strip, and once on solid ground, the former looked up to see the ship they just exited circle around instead of fly straight.

"What the hell?" He said out loud, causing Mickey to see where he was looking.

"Thought it was on autopilot now?" He asked Jack.

"Can't worry about it, gotta get in and get things shut down." Jack said, gesturing to the base.

Mickey nodded, the two drew their guns, and headed toward the doors.

The military training both of them had allowed them the quick and efficiently down the corridors, stunning soldiers before they even knew someone was there in some cases. At the first computer they came across, Jack got to work while Mickey watched his back.

"Where do you think the Doctor got the guns?" He asked Jack thoughtfully as he kept his eyes open and scanned the area.

"Look like they may have been Time Agent weapons. Truth be told, the ships looked it as well. Know he made a deal with Dorium, a sorta scummy business man who has one helluva bar. He probably got the weapons and the ships as a payment for something. Lots of people in this Universe owe the Doctor, and even Rose, a few favors. Time like this is when you call them in."

"Suppose." Mickey agreed.

"Ha! In." Jack said, scanning the map that was one the scree. "Take the right, all the way to the end."

"What about the others?" Mickey asked. "How they gonna know where to go? The Lizard lady and her sidekick?"

"Vastra and Jenny," Jack said with emphasis, "Will be able to find us because I will create an access code for someone already on the ship."

"What good will that do us?" Mickey asked, frowning at Jack.

He flashed him his patent smile. "Spoilers, Mickey Mouse." He added a wink for good measure.

"Right, yeah, okay." Mickey grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Jack did the set up, wondering briefly what the password should be. What would she know to use? He put in the one thing he thought might work, what anyone on the base wouldn't know should they find the new person listed: her other name.

"Okay," Jack said, shutting down the computer and re-gripping his gun. "Let's get the security system shut down.

The two went as quick as they could down the hall Jack noted on the map, having to stun a few guards along the way. After taking down the last two, Mickey and Jack each went to a guard, took one of their hands, and placed it on the panel.

"You guys should be heading down to the assembly. Manton's going to brief us on …." The one that was speaking stopped, as he turned and saw Jack pointing his gun at him.

Jack fired, and the guy went down.

"What the?" The guy's partner said, making to draw his own weapon before Mickey slammed the butt of his gun against the guy's head, knocking him out cold.

"You know the stunner wouldn't have done any damage, even at this close range?" Jack reminded him as he grabbed the guy he took out and dragged him out of his chair.

"Yeah, well, works just as well." Mickey replied, following Jack's lead with his own victim.

"Yeah, but you probably did worse the blunt way." Jack grunted as he dragged the guy across the floor.

"Oi, who's side are you on?" Mickey grunted back as they made it to the doors. Mickey slammed the red button to open them, and the moment the doors slid open, they tossed them outside.

Shutting the door, they went to work.

"Security shut down," Mickey told Jack after a few minutes. "But doesn't look like the Doctor's gonna be able to land the TARDIS in here."

"I have a feeling Doc accounted for that." Jack said as he typed a little more. "There, shield around the base is lowered. The rest of the ships should be coming into the hanger in a moment."

They watched the live feed from the hanger, counting as the ships came in. Rose and Rory, Vastra with Jenny and Strax, the trio with Mels, and then ….

"Clever bastard." Jack chuckled, shaking his head.

"Meaning?" Mickey asked.

"Count the ships."

Jack watched as Mickey did, and then smiled wider as Mickey's face split into a grin as the Time Lord emerged from what was likely their ship.

"Bloody Time Lord landed the TARDIS on our ship." Mickey laughed.

"Getting it past the matter lines and without triggering any sort of TARDIS detection. It's why our ship didn't head back to Dorium on autopilot. Doctor swooped in and turned it around once the ejection was complete." Jack nodded. "Now we just need to wait for the signal, and we can cut the lights."

"Guy said there was some sort of assembly." Mickey said, gesturing to another live feed. There were soldiers from the clergy filing in, a half a dozen cyborgs, as well as a men and women dressed a bit different.

Jack watched as a woman came in at the rear, looking around the room with a stern expression.

"I know her." Jack said, hands clenching the arms of the chair he was in. "She was … she was in my life just before I lost two years of it. One of the last things I remember."

"What you on about?" Mickey asked.

"Her," Jack said, pointing her out on a screen. "I know Her. It has to be."

"You sure?" Mickey asked.

Jack shook his head. "Never could be, but it's like seeing a ghost."

It was hazy at best, and he was mistaken before in thinking he knew someone from the time just before he lost his memories. A millennium or more back when he helped the Doctor and Rose at the Pandorica, when he first met Rory and Amy. Back then he hadn't seen the woman, but her voice was like that of a nightmare. A fog was over the visual of her, and as he was busy playing dead, he couldn't exactly get a good look at her. He never did get those lost years back, had no idea what he'd done in them, and he was starting to worry that maybe he had a hand in making the lives of his dearest friends a bit harder without knowing it.

There was a knock on the door in a very distinct three-two-four pattern, and Jack shook himself out of his thoughts.

"Alright. Show time." He said to Mickey as they started working the controls again.

"Let's do this." Mickey nodded, and the two worked together to cut the power just as the man on stage seemed to be at the peak of his speech.

* * *

 

Amy moved her rocking chair to the observation window where she could see the area she assumed the soldiers trained in. They were holding some kind of meeting there, she had gathered, simply by the assembly that was filing in. Everyone seemed relaxed, at ease, like they weren't worried in the least.

There were some sketchy looking characters there, too. It reminded her vaguely of Tex in the way they were cobbled together. Half man, half machine, and looking miserable. Maybe they were, maybe they had been subjected to the same kind of life the Gunslinger had been.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and another nurse entered the room. Unlike Gridin, who regarded her with sympathy and understanding, this one looked almost as if she were meeting a celebrity. She worried something in her fingers nervously, and looked at it more than she looked at Amy.

"I already ate," Amy snapped. "So unless you're here to tell me I can see my daughter, leave."

"I actually need to ensure your uterus is shrinking back." The nurse said. "Only take a moment, but … but I do need you to lay down." She gestured quickly over to the bed.

Amy sighed and rolled her eyes as she stood to comply. She winced as she climbed up and settled on the hospital bed.

"You did well." The nurse said with a smile, setting what ever was in her hands down on the foot of the bed to begin the exam. "No tearing."

"No meds, no warning," Amy snapped. "Come to consciousness to find myself in a room surrounded by people I don't know telling me to calm and relax while in the worst pain of my life. Did well? Didn't have a choice."

The nurse looked properly chastised. She felt about Amy's abdomen, nodded once, then gestured for Amy to sit up.

As Amy was climbing off the bed, the nurse said. "I asked about your baby's name. Pond was a peculiar word for me, I didn't understand. Melody, I knew, was like a song. But I didn't know what a Pond was. I grew up in the Gamma forests."

"Gamma forests?" Amy frowned. "I think I've been there. There was an alien attracted to the smell of …." She stopped, looking to the nurse who blushed.

"Yes, I remember that from my childhood. I also remember the, umm … I remember them. The Doctor and his wife. I remember how they showed up to our village, met with our elder, and not long after … well, the creature was gone. So were the strangers that came before them, but we celebrated the Doctor and his wife for helping."

"So how did you end up here?" Amy asked.

The nurse shrugged. "I wanted to meet them again. They're legendary. When I was able to leave the forests, when I went off to learn to be a healer, I made it a slight hobby to learn more about them. They're scattered through the universe and the history. She's sometimes referred to as Bad Wolf, and I heard the Mistress here call her that from time to time." The nurse shook her head as if to clear it. "Anyway. My people didn't have a word for Pond because there's no water in the forest but the river, so …."

As the nurse turned away, a shiver shot down Amy's spine at the words. Why was that something that stuck out?

The nurse handed her a cloth with something etched in it. "It's your daughter's name in the language of my people. It's on a prayer leaf, and it's said that if you keep it close your child will always come home to you."

"You're talking as if she's lost." Amy snapped.

"No," The nurse said. "No, if you're a friend of the Doctor's and the Wolf like everyone keeps saying, then he will not let you down."

Amy couldn't argue that, and so accepted the prayer leaf with a slight grin. The nurse helped her over to her chair, made sure she was somewhat comfortable, and turned to leave.

"What's your name?" Amy asked before the nurse left. "I know Gridin, so you're …?"

"Lorna. Though with any luck you won't be seeing me again." She said sincerely before leaving the room.

It occurred to Amy that there had been no guards inside with Lorna, and likely weren't any outside her door. She could, in theory, escape. But where would she go? She had no way off without the Doctor, and with the way she was feeling she wouldn't be doing any running anytime soon.

Instead, she watched where the guards were. The assembly wasn't all that big, maybe a hundred soldiers at most. Half a dozen cyborgs, about twenty men that dressed the same as Miss Smith. They were all in the back of the room, watching those before them.

So if She was there, who was with her daughter?

"Soldiers of the Church!" The man on stage with the cyborgs bellowed, distracting Amy from her thoughts. "We gather in this room, in the eyes of God, to gain strength and knowledge. Just yesterday, a divine creature made her way into this life, and we have been asked to protect it, keep it safe from the devil and his hell-hound."

Amy snickered, rolling her eyes, more amused by the idiot than anything.

"We know not when he comes to strike us, we know not when he will cease in what will likely be a relentless pursuit to take the wondrous, golden child of God, and darken her pure soul. Bu(t we will be there every step of the way. We will guide her, when we can, and she will make a soldier of God unlike any we have seen yet."

The soldiers cheered their approval, and Amy watched as Miss Smith smiled knowingly, almost proudly, at the thought of what they would do to Melody. Almost as if she knew Amy would be watching, she turned her head up toward her, though never looking right at her. She then refocused on the man on stage as he motioned for calm around the room.

"But despite our grand intentions, it's likely to not be enough that we do this alone. For here, on this base, named for the creature we stand against and what we will make him do, is where the child is in greatest danger. So we have with us soldiers, a gift of the Kahler. They are the perfect soldiers, programmed for the task ahead. They cannot be persuaded, the can never be bought, they can never be afraid, they can never be …."

The lights went out around the room below, and Amy looked about as if her vantage point would allow her to see the cause.

"Surprised." The Doctor's voice ran out around the room, and Amy's heart stopped.

There was the sound of weapons charging, but oddly not the hundreds she'd have expected.

"Oh please," The Doctor's voice echoed as a trail of lights lit up to the back of the room, shining over Miss Smith. "I scanned your weapons a long time ago. Or maybe it hasn't happened yet for you lot, I'm not sure." He popped up behind Miss Smith, and the cyborgs all pointed their weapons at the two of them. "Cyborgs, I didn't expect, admittedly, but I've never been one to have a plan go accordingly."

"How did you get in here?" She asked him over her shoulder, sneering at his proximity.

"Oh, easy peasy." He said, stepping away from her and draping his arms around two of her men. They looked at each other, and Amy thought she noted a bit of confusion from them both. "Admittedly it's getting out that will be the real trick, but I have a few more surprises up my sleeves." He then wandered out toward the stage, hopping up and standing beside the man leading the clergy. "Such as, as of right now, this base is infiltrated by some of the most brilliant people in the Universe. Some have been called my Children of Time, but truth be told, it's a bit awkward in some cases. But all of them, every single one of them, have face worse than the likes of you and survived. Daleks, Cybermen, Sycorax, the very enemies _She_ has tried to align with and take me down, and all of them have stood beside me while I defeated them. The sound of another gun charged in the back of the room, and a little man that looked a lot like a potato stood with his weapon at the ready. "Some of them are even on my side now." The Doctor said almost cockily.

Miss Smith laughed. "One lonely Sontaron, and a handful of primitive humans? Oh, Doctor, I thought you'd have been better prepared than that."

"I am." He said, and he was joined on stage by Gridin, changed in red robes and a hood.

"Judoon!" She called out, and suddenly the room was filled with rhino like creatures standing on two feet, dressed in space suits and holding a gun.

"You see, taking a sentient being with free will from a level 5 planet with the express purpose of experimentation is a crime that holds a severe penalty with the Shadow Proclamation, and any body or person aiding in any way is considered equally as guilty." The Doctor explained. "Ask Gridin here, she knows all about it."

"You can't have soldiers of God arrested by such an unholy authority." The man on stage spat at him.

"I'm not the one doing the arresting, I was merely the one who sent in the tip." The Doctor countered, low, and dark, his voice still carrying thanks to what ever was one the stage that helped carry the soldiers voice before.

"Kill him!" The man ordered, and the cyborgs all fired at him without question.

The angle, had the Doctor actually been standing on the stage, would have allowed the two shots actually fired from a pair of cyborgs to take him down.

Amy nearly covered her eyes, therefor missing when those shots made the Doctor merely flicker out of existence before hitting two of the soldiers in the crowd below. An uproar in both anger and disbelief echoed through the room, and Amy smiled wide as she understood what was happening.

She was really, properly getting out of there. And with Miss Smith only now fleeing, likely trying to go after Melody, there was even a chance that the littlest Pond would get out as well.

* * *

 

"I shouldn't be this nervous that we haven't encountered anyone, but I am." Tim admitted as he shifted the gun in his hands.

"All in good time," River replied, her voice steady but her eyes betraying a nervousness Tim was surprised to see.

"You alright, Song?" He asked.

She glanced at him, coldly at first, then eased up. "You know how important this day, this event, is. But it's not fixed, and while … I'm just nervous, is all." She said, sighing a bit.

Tim nodded, knowing to keep his mouth shut. He was under the impression that Jen a good idea what this was, having known River as long as she did.

There was something in the half-Time Lord's eyes that made him think she was old. They were worn, tired, like maybe she was on the cusp of regeneration. And the way she looked at _him,_ full of regret and longing, hope and knowing, it was like seeing his own future through someone else's eyes. He remembered their kiss in the TARDIS, and the ones from what he assumed was an older Jenny breaking into his hotel room on the planet her parents had dropped them off on. He recalled those ones being practiced, familiar in a way he was a stranger to.

He shuddered, turning toward the wide, open entry point from the hanger to the base.

"So … lizard woman and the potato are a bit crazy." Mels said as if trying to break a different kind of tension. Tim and the girls looked to her, and she smiled shyly with a shrug. "What? All humans here. We can note the oddness of aliens, right?"

The three of them all made uncomfortable noises, Tim scratching at the back of his neck while Jenny and River looked at each other like they weren't sure they should share.

"What?" Mels said, mouth agape. "You telling me you lot aren't human?"

"I'm the Doctor and Rose's daughter. Makes me half Time Lord." Jenny said shyly.

"I traced my lineage on my Mom's side back to Jack, which makes him, like, my great grandpa or something. And since he's from the 51st century it sorta makes me alien. And I still don't know who my Dad was." Tim confessed, gesturing about like it wasn't a big deal.

"I'm what they call human plus." River said with a cheeky grin and a slight shrug. "Had some work done." She added, fluffing her hair.

"Wait, so, who on this little rescue mission aside from me and Rory are human?" Mels asked.

The trio looked at one another.

"Uncle Mickey's human." Jenny said.

"Right." Mels said. "Not a story to tell the girls back home then."

"Not unless you wanna get sectioned." Tim added with a smirk.

"Quiet." Jenny said. "Think I hear someone."

"Lock and load," River said, adjusting her gun and aiming it at the entry point. "I think it's go time."

* * *

 

"You're sure this is where they're keeping my little one?" Rory asked as they stood outside the unguarded door.

"No," Rose said, shaking her head. "But this is where it was marked on the schematics. Just … not so sure I trust that there are no guards here by chance."

She studied the panel by the door, her mind working to decipher the code. There wasn't enough wear on the buttons for her to determine what it was.

She stuck her hands in her pockets, wondering if maybe the Doctor anticipated this, and searched for the thing he slipped in. Her fingers wrapped around something cylinder, and she pulled out what looked like a the Doctor's former sonic screwdriver in the same colors as the new one.

"Brilliant," She smiled, tongue between her teeth as she pointed the small sonic at the panel. With a hum, the doors slide open. It was a small room, the base nursery, with very little inside but the bassinet and a crying baby.

Rory rushed in, right to the bassinet, and froze.

Rose pocketed her sonic as she approached more slowly, barely daring to peer inside as Rory reached for the tiny human.

"Hello, Sweetie." He said to it, his voice choking a bit. The infant fussed. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm here. Daddy's here," He said as he lifted the beautiful infant toward him. He looked to Rose, smiling. "She's a girl. I have a little girl."

"She's gorgeous." Rose said, coming toward them. She reached out and touched the little one, leaning in to see if she had that sweet baby smell everyone always went on about, one she didn't want to admit noticing on Mickey's or Donna's kids. But there was something off with it. The tiny baby had a distinct smell, but it wasn't the one Rose was expecting.

"What is it?" Rory asked worriedly.

"Know how we were worried this wasn't right?" Rose asked, and he nodded. "'Cause it's not. She's Flesh."

"Flesh?" Rory asked, looking between Rose and his daughter. "How do you … what do you mean?"

"She smells like the other Doctor did." Rose gestured, moving swiftly from the room.

Rory was following, she could hear, and doing a good job at catching up.

"What do you mean she smells like the other Doctor did? His ganger?"

"Yes," Rose replied as she came to the end of the hall and found another computer. She typed quick, scanning this time for guards on post instead of simply life forms. There were a half dozen down the corridor to the right, tucked into a smaller one on the left. She went for it without hesitation.

"How do you know?" Rory demanded, and Rose stopped to face her friend.

With a huff, she calmly said, "The Doctor noticed on Amy, when she was Flesh, she was too balanced hormonally. I can't smell that, but I have been around him long enough to know the difference between Time Lord's and humans. When I was with his ganger, he didn't smell quite Time Lord. And while I'm not sure I could pinpoint human specifically, I do know that the baby in your arms smells like he did."

"How didn't you notice it on Amy?" Rory asked.

Rose smirked. "Wasn't in the habit of smelling her skin." She sobered. "There's another room heavily guarded just down the hall. All the others seem to be in one room, likely training, much like the Doctor had hoped. I'm willing to bet that's where she actually is."

Rory looked back down at the baby in his arms, devastation in his eyes before he nodded without looking to Rose.

She charged, moving down the hall without hesitation, loosening her muscles as she went.

When she turned down the hall, half a dozen men went from lax to fully attentive in seconds.

She smiled. "Been a long time since I was this outnumbered."

"We will shoot!" One of the men warned.

"Course you will." Rose said, withdrawing her gun and stunning the two soldiers in the back. As the other men were distracted, seeing what happened to their comrades, she darted to the one on the left hit him in the temple, then shoved him toward the one on the right, slamming them both into the all.

A shot hit her arm as she went for the next two, grabbing the barrel of one soldier's gun while elbowing the other one in the nose a few times. The gun in her grip moved about, firing into the wall and once into man she had been attempting to physically knock out. She heard Rory fire his stunner twice, and assumed he got the two she threw into the wall. She didn't have time to check before the gun she had been keeping pointed away from herself fired into her right leg.

Screaming out in pain, she used the rage and frustration she had at being hit to kick the guy between his legs with all the strength in her left leg, feeling his pelvic bone shatter before she fell back from lack of balance. The guy passed out next to her, and she panted and winced before turning to Rory.

He came over to her, holding the baby in one arm while offering his other to help Rose up.

"Remind me to never make you angry." He said, and she couldn't help but laugh as she gripped his arm and pulled herself up. She looked down at her leg, hissing in again at the sight of it.

It was bad. Blood oozed out her leg in heavier a flow than she'd like. She was standing with all her weight on her good leg, knowing she'd fall over if she tried to do otherwise. In her current state, there was no way she could actually make it back to the hanger, and would likely slow the lot of them down if she tried.

"Use one of their hands to open the doors, be quicker." She gestured to the guards nearest the doors. "I'll be along in about two to five minutes, maybe less." She said, still panting.

Rory frowned. "Five minutes?"

Rose changed the setting on her gun, looking to Rory and hoping he understood. His eyes went wide before meeting hers.

"Faster this way." She said. "Just … let's keep this between you and me, yeah?"

"What about the Doctor, won't he know?' Rory asked, and Rose shook her head.

"Bond's closed off right now so we don't distract each other. He won't feel it, won't even know I did it. Just … get your proper girl, yeah?"

Rory looked at the gun again, then turned away and headed to the doors.

Rose watched, heart pounding as she pointed the gun toward it, the barrel of the gun cool against the skin of her chest above her shirt's neckline. It would hurt less than it would in the head, and while having trouble breathing wasn't going to make running easy it was better than trying to escape with a headache. She watched as Rory picked up one of the unconscious man's arms and pressed his hand against the panel. The doors slid open, and Rory dashed inside.

As soon as the doors slid shut, Rose pulled the trigger.


	31. When Good Men Go To War pt 2

The Doctor had been standing behind Jack from the moment his hologram had appeared in the room below. Well, standing as much as one controlling an image of themselves could. The Doctor moved about the control room just as he had the room below, and didn't stop until the hologram disappeared.

And having known the Time Lord as long as he had, Jack instinctively knew when the Doctor's mood shifted without even looking behind him. His chair had moved, just a small amount, from the Doctor's grip tightening on it.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Something. Don't know what, though." The Doctor admitted nervously.

"Why do you say that?" Mickey asked.

"Because Rose's mind has receded in a way that usually means she's …."

Jack turned around, looking at him. He was pale, eyes unfocused. "She'll come back, though, right?"

"She's coming around, yes." The Doctor nodded. "But if she's been … it means something isn't going to plan. May be more men than we anticipated."

Jack watched the feeds, noticing the smirk on Her face even as the Judoon rounded her, her men, and the clergy up.

"It's been too easy, hasn't it?" He remarked.

"A bit." The Doctor nodded. He then turned to the door, opening it, revealing Vastra and Jenny helping a pair of Judoon drag the two guards slowly coming around to their feet.

The Doctor grunted and clicked, doing so in a rhythm that almost sounded like speech. The Judoon did the same in return, and the Doctor grunted once. They two bowed to each other.

"What was that about?" Vastra asked as the Judoon took the guards away.

"I asked them to bring our friend to talk to us." He said with a confident grin before backing out the door. "Have a feeling she'll have lots she'll want to say to us."

* * *

 

Rose came around with a mighty cough, her chest aching. Groaning, she rolled to her side and opened her eyes to find herself staring at a pair of boots. She looked up the skinny legs before her to find Rory looking down at her with nervous, new father eyes, holding a baby in his arms.

"I'm not sure what to do." He admitted. "I set the Flesh copy down, picked her up, and the Flesh disintegrated.

Rose chuckled as she got to her feet, straightening out her jacket as she looked at the little one in his arms.

She smiled, then gently reached out to touch the baby's head. There was a hum she wasn't expecting, almost like a pull against her skin. She frowned, running her finger down the baby's tiny nose, hearing her coo. She leaned in, taking a whiff of the baby's skin, smiling at the non-flesh scent though confused by the hint of something else there.

"Please tell me she's real. I can't … I don't think I can give up another one, and if you tell me there's more copies of my daughter."

"She's human." Rose nodded.

"Oh good." He said, sighing with relief.

"Let's go to the medbay," Rose said. "Likely where Amy is. Best we head there now." She said, gesturing down the hall.

"Right." He nodded, and they made their way back to the computer from before. The map was still up, and a quick glance at it showed her where to go.

She led Rory there, keeping her eyes peeled for any possible signs of danger, heart racing with each step toward the medbay.

Shoulders sagged as they made it to the doors without issue, and she looked back to Rory with a grin. "You ready?"

"More than." He said, looking down at his daughter again.

Rose's grin grew as she withdrew her sonic and pointed at the panel. The doors slid open.

"Who ever you are, watch it! I'm armed, and really dangerous, and cross!" Amy's voice came from inside, a wall blocking the view of inside from the door way.

Rory glanced at Rose, his smile growing as he stepped inside. "Yeah, like I don't know that." He teased, heading inside.

"Rory? Rory is that you?" Rose heard Amy cry out. "They took her, they took our baby away."

"Now, Missus Williams, that is never, ever going to happen." Rory said just as he disappeared around the corner.

Rose stood at the doorway, listening to them before going in.

"Oh my God!" Amy cried, and Rose felt her self tearing up. "Oh my God! Where's she been, what have they done to her?"

"She's fine," Rory said. "I checked, Rose checked, she's beautiful." He said as Rose felt a pair of cool arms wrap around her.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked her.

"Chest hurts." Rose admitted, turning in his arms to smile at him. "Doesn't matter, though. Not really."

"Didn't want to go in?" He asked her.

"Wanted to give them a minute." Rose replied, wiping at the tears falling from her eyes. "Seemed a bit private, that." She gestured back to the room. "But there's something going on with here, Doctor. Something … off. Can sense it."

The Doctor gave her a quick peck. "Let's not worry them just yet." He said. "Though I would like to meet the little one that's caused so much trouble." He added with a grin before stepping back. He took her hand, then led her into the medbay.

He stopped short at the sight of the Ponds kissing over their little girl.

"Oh, blimey, shoulda stayed out there a little longer. We'll just …."

"Oi, you, get in here!" Rory demanded, smiling a bit.

The Doctor didn't need to be told twice, dropping Rose's hand to dart over and meet the little one.

"My daughter, what do you think?" Rory asked as the Doctor stared at her with a wide, goofy grin that was equally endearing and heartbreaking. They came to terms with her infertility instantly, and they had Jenny to extend their family, but there was always something about watching the Doctor with babies that made her ache at the inability to bare one of their own.

"Hello, hello, baby." He cooed, and Rose moved to stand beside him.

"Melody." Amy said.

"Melody?" Rory gapped incredulously.

"Melody Rose," Amy nodded, smiling at Rose before opening her arms and embracing Rose tightly for a moment. "The strongest women I knew. Just in case."

"Melody Rose Pond, hello, sweet girl." The Doctor said as he stroked her little cheek.

"Melody Williams." Rory corrected.

"Is a geography teacher." Amy snorted. "Melody Pond is a superhero."

"Didn't get much say in this did I?" Rory teased with a smile.

"Well, Melody Rose Williams-Pond." Amy shrugged with a giggle.

Melody gurgled, and the Doctor turned his ear toward her.

"Does she? Never really sniffed her. Maybe I should give it a go." The Doctor said before turning to Amy and giving her a hug. "Sorry we were so long getting here." He said to her before taking a big sniff.

"It's okay," Amy reassured. "I knew you were coming, all of you. I had faith."

Melody squealed, and Rose chuckled at the little one's insistence.

"Oi, you should call her 'Mummy', not bit 'Big Milk Thing'." The Doctor scolded the baby gently.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"He speaks baby." Rose rolled her eyes as Melody cooed. "Though I don't know if I believe they say half of what he says he does."

"No, it's not. It's cool." The Doctor frowned as he straightened his bow tie.

"Hate to break up this moment, but we do need to move out." Rose said, putting a hand on Amy's shoulder. "You alright to move quick?"

"Long as we don't have to run." She nodded.

"The Shadow Proclamation is rounding everyone up, but we still need to leave as quick as possible. I have a feeling there's still a few surprises waiting for us." The Doctor nodded.

"Then let's go." Rory nodded, clutching Melody close as the four of them left the medbay.

As they made their way to the hanger, they found Vastra hurrying toward them.

"There you are." She said, glancing wearily at the Ponds before approaching the Doctor. "We need you to come back to the control room. There's something you need to see."

"Is there?" The Doctor asked with a frown.

"Yes." Vastra replied seriously.

"We already know there was a Flesh avatar of the baby," Rose said in a low enough voice that Amy wouldn't hear. "We found the real Melody."

"That's not what concerns me." Vastra said.

"Ponds," The Doctor said, turning to where they stopped. "Head to the hanger as planned. Will give Mels a moment to meet the little one who's been named after her."

"Melody's here? Big Melody?" Amy asked, eyes wide.

"Rory will explain on the way." The Doctor insisted with a smile, nodding for them to go. After they continued on their way, he turned to Vastra. "What is it?"

She beckoned for them to follow, and with a worried glance at one another, the Doctor and Rose followed.

When they entered the control room, Rose was surprised to see a calm Jack and a confused Mickey and Jenny Flint looking at a screen with three strands of DNA up side by side.

"If I didn't know you two had such a strong marriage, I'd question the parentage of this little girl," Vastra cut to the chase. "Because they have been running scans and tests since before her birth, and it appears she is more than a mere human."

Rose didn't really understand what she was looking at, though she could plainly see there was quite a difference between two of the samples, and quite a similarity between the other possible pair.

"Oh that's not even the most confusing part." The Doctor said, a mix of wonder and fear in his voice as he stepped toward the screens.

"I'm not sure I understand." Vastra replied.

"That strand, that's human. Likely Amy's by the similar markers." He said, pointing to the one furthest left that also looked like the odd one out. "But this one, this one is Rose's." He said, pointing to the one farthest right.

"Mine?" She said incredulously.

"I studied your DNA religiously that first year after I almost lost you. When we discovered the huons inside you from the heart of the TARDIS. I know it intimately." He rambled off quickly.

"So you're saying …?" Jack asked expectantly.

"I'm saying she, Melody, has huons embedded in her DNA. Which is virtually impossible." He frowned. "But there's something, and inkling in the back of my mind, that says I should know that it's not. That we would have expected this."

Rose frowned as she felt that same sort of inkling tickle at the back of her mind. A memory blocked, but there were flashes of children in hospital beds that managed to come through.

"So, they did it on the TARDIS and the TARDIS, what? Some how go involved in …?" Jack said, a grin growing with each word.

"Oi! That's absolute rubbish." The Doctor spat back. "I don't care how sentient my ship is, she certainly didn't find a way in the mix of _that_ with _them_ and helped make a baby."

"So how would this have happened?" Jenny asked.

"There are files, medical files, that show … experiments being done involving the child while in utero." Vastra said, pressing a few keys and bring them up.

The Doctor leaned forward and scanned them. "Man made. In fact, it looks like … but that's impossible."

"What?" Rose asked.

"I could be wrong, very wrong, and I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like they are the same huons that Donna was dosed in all that time ago. _She_ must have somehow gotten a hold of a sample of the huons the Racnoss developed."

"We never went back," Rose frowned at the realization. "We flooded the base with water from the Thamas, but we never actually went back to see if things were destroyed. If there was anything even left."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "We didn't." He realized. "I was too worried about you to even consider that maybe we should have."

"But we don't have to worry, yeah? Melody's alive, so there's no damage in that way. And Donna had the huons she was dosed with extracted." Rose reasoned.

"Yes, but Donna didn't have them injected into her as she was developing. It's become a part of Melody's DNA, just like yours did. It's why they look so alike." The Doctor said.

"And she will be a glorious weapon." _Her_ voice made Rose turn around abruptly, seeing the smug woman being led inside by a pair of Judoon. "You asked to see me?"

"You knew we were coming?" The Doctor countered instantly.

She shrugged. "Admittedly, I hoped you would. Though I didn't think you would get here as soon as you did. I was hoping for another month or two, but it is what it is."

The Doctor stalked toward her, and Rose stopped him from getting too close by standing in front of him. "Who are you?" He asked her with a bitter undertone.

She smiled. "A victim of the Time War." She replied. "Someone who lost their planet, because your people were so against interfering that they didn't bother ensuring the safety of the innocent people they were dragging into their feud with the Daleks."

"The Time War wasn't that simple." He tried to reason.

"No, of course not. But you would say that. Even if you are 'one of the good ones'." She said, and a wave of unease hit Rose as the Doctor looked at the woman with new-found suspicion. "You know, my people celebrated the end of the Time Lords. The Daleks are parasites that would never go away, not properly. But Time Lords? Their eradication thrilled us. But time went on, and I found a man's name scattered throughout the Universe. One who spoke of the horrors of the war, of ending it. A man who said he was a Time Lord. Funny how his name was the same one of the Time Lord who killed my sister."

"Your sister?" The Doctor repeated.

"Cass." She said. "Homebox from her ship returned with the recording of her final moments. No video beyond the control room, audio cut off after she declared you a Time Lord. Because it was you, wasn't it, Doctor? Regenerated since then, of course, but you're the same man."

"I didn't kill her." The Doctor protested. "I didn't kill her, I swear, I tried to save her."

"If you really tried to save her, you wouldn't have let her die." She snapped back.

"What do you want Melody for?" Rose asked, feeling the despair mix with anger coming from the Doctor.

She looked to Rose, her coy smile quite malicious. "To make another you, Bad Wolf. You're nearly as legendary as the Doctor. Strong, smart, extremely quick healing." She eyed the rips in Rose's pants and tops where she was shot. "A being powerful enough to control or maybe destroy the Doctor. It's a shame you sided with him so early in your life, but I couldn't resist the chance at making my own Bad Wolf from the child of his dearest Amelia."

The Doctor frowned, glanced at Rose, holding her.

" _I don't think she knows why you became what you did._ "

" _I don't think she realizes I don't die, either."_ Rose replied.

"You wanted to make a weapon out of my companion's child?" He asked for clarification.

"And won't that be spectacular?" She asked.

"You make it sound as if it could still happen," He noted darkly.

She laughed. "Well, the real child was being held in an remote controlled space pod under heavy guard. The child in the nursery is like me and all of my men."

"Meaning?" Vastra asked.

"Meaning we fooled you all again with the same trick." She replied before turning into a puddle of liquid flesh. Rose turned and watched on the monitors as all of _Her_ men turned to liquid one by one.

"The child." Vastra gasped.

"Safe." Rose said, looking to Vastra with a slight grin. "We already figured out she had a decoy, remember?"

"Oh, and Doctor?" _She_ said as her face came up on the monitors. "I have one last surprise for you. The cyborgs, they were asked to go after any life forms that weren't already registered in my systems. I'm sure you'll know what that means."

Rose barely had time to fully comprehend before three cyborgs entered the room, two shooting a Judoon each. Rose shoved her husband out of the way hard before drawing her already reprogrammed weapon and firing three rounds into the nearest cyborg's chest then diving over the Doctor to protect him as the other cyborg with a gun arm went to fire.

Jack, or Mickey, or maybe both fired at it, and with it occupied, Rose noted Vastra and Jenny going after the other one with swords. The other Cyborg who now had long swords in place of hands.

"Go!" Vastra yelled. "If they came after us, they'll have gone after the others. And something tells me those four aren't going to be quite as quick to counter." She said with a grunt as she pushed the Cyborg back with Jenny's help.

The Doctor and Rose scrambled to their feet, moving past the cyborg with ease. Rose checked behind her, seeing Mickey duck out of the room, and Jack nearly making it to the door.

Nearly, as before he could make it fully into Rose's view there was a sickening wet sound.

"Come on," The Doctor said, pulling on Rose's arm as she stopped with a hand covering her mouth, eyes wide with terror while she waited for Jack to come out. "Rose, we need to go after the Ponds, and Jenny, and River, and Tim."

"Right," She managed to say before letting the Doctor give her another tug.

She and him caught up to Mickey as they rang toward the hanger.

It was both nerve wreaking and relieving to see Gridin taking on a sword hand cyborg with a young nurse, helping ward him off. The gun wielding cyborgs concentrated on crates where Rose could see Jenny, River, Tim, and Mels were using as shields between shots.

"Oi!" Rose said, pulling her gun while stepping between she and the Doctor. When one of the Cyborgs turned toward her, she fired into it's chest.

"Jen!" She heard Tim cry out as the cyborg she stopped fell out of the way.

Jenny cried out in hysterics as River and Mels followed Rose's lead and shot at the Cyborg's chest to prevent it from firing off another shot. It didn't work entirely as one more round went off and hit River in the arm before the Cyborg when down, and Mels turned her gun toward the last remaining one, the one with swords for hands, and shot it in the back.

Rose darted to the crates the others used for cover while the Doctor went to check on the nurse and Gridin. Rose had barely registered one of them had been hurt, her concern on her family. Bolting over the crates, she landed beside Jenny.

She cradled Tim in her arms, a nasty looking wound one the side of his head by his temple. His eyes were glazed over, shock setting in as he looked up at Jenny.

"Can't die." Jenny said to him. "We have a future together, a beautiful future, you'll see. It's filled with love, and beauty. And … and we have …. You can't die, you hear me? You can't die now because I still need to be better for you and I can't do that if you don't live out your life with me."

"Whatever you say, Jen." Tim grunted out.

Rose pulled out the sonic device the Doctor gave her and found the healing setting. She ran it over the wound, but barely anything happened.

"We will call for medical transport." A gruff Judoon voice startled her. She looked up over her shoulder to see him punching a code into his wrist band.

"I'm going with him," Jenny said to the Judoon. "Mum." She said, looking to Rose, her tone a question while it was clear there was only one right answer to it.

"How are you going to make it back to where we found you?" Rose asked.

"I'll do it." River said, gesturing with her wrist, indicating her vortex manipulator. It was the same arm she was shot in. Rose couldn't help but notice how it was nearly all healed, and what was left of the wound was disappearing fast. "I'll come back for her when she's ready."

"They don't happen to have anything to reattach heads in this century, do they?" Jack's voice called out, and River turned at the same moment Rose did.

Vastra and Jenny walked in, a couple nicks on the arms but looking no worse for wear. In Vastra's hands was the very animated head of Jack Harkness.

"Funny thing about being immortal, you live through everything, apparently. Including decapitation."

"Oh, Jack." Rose stared in disbelief.

"Don't be too surprised, Sweetheart," The Doctor said as he came up beside her. "We always knew this was bound to happen at some point."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Oh, let's just say we see more of the Face of Boe yet." The Doctor said, and Rose smacked him in the abdomen for giving away a future detail. He merely laughed.

"We make a pair, eh great granddad?" Tim asked. "Me shot in the head, you having yours lopped off?"

"Figured that part of your family tree out, did ya?" Jack asked with a smirk, looking toward where Tim was but likely couldn't see him from the height at which Vastra held him.

"We will take you to the medical facility." A Judoon said to Jack as he came over.

"You could, but I'm not sure there's much more that can be done." Jack said as the Judoon took him from Vastra. "My body's probably too far gone at this point."

"Are there no more for medical transport?" The Judoon asked.

Gridin came forward, carrying the nurse in her arms. "She's gone, but she deserves to be returned to her people." She told the Judoon.

He nodded, and in a flash, Gridin and the Nurse, the Judoon and Jack, and Jenny and Tim were transported out.

"Right," The Doctor said, looking about. "Where are the Ponds?"

"Strax went with them inside a ship, when the things came." Mels gestured. "Said he was protecting them from something Sontoran or other."

The Doctor nodded, heading toward the ship with an open cargo hold. After he disappeared, there was the creak of a wooden door opening.

"Halt, in the name of the Sontoran empire!" Strax voice boomed. "Oh, Doctor. Welcome home."

"Come on," Rose gestured toward the ship. "Let's get you lot back where you came from."

* * *

 

As Mickey stepped out of the TARDIS, saying farewell to new friends and old, he was smiling. For the first time in awhile he was a soldier again. He did so much mire than sit at a desk, even if it was his primary task. But after seeing the Ponds with their daughter, the joy they had at being all together again, it made him realize what he'd been missing out on.

"Not gone ten minutes." Martha said with a warm smile, coming up and slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Have fun?"

"Suppose." He said. "But I think … I think a desk job might not be so bad." He turned to watch his boys as they climbed a tree, glimpsing his daughter in her play house with a little grin on her face. "Let's me spend more time with them, after all."

Martha looked at him suspiciously, and he kissed her firmly. "Gonna go grab another beer. Need it after a long couple days. And when they go to bed I'll tell you all about it."

"Yeah, you'd better." Martha called after him, and he merely smiled wider.

* * *

 

"Are you sure you want to stay with them?" The Doctor asked Strax as he dropped him off with Vastra and Jenny. "Won't be any glory for the Sontoran empire with them. No heated battles."

"Oh, I shouldn't say that, now, Doctor," Vastra grinned. "Our lives are more exciting than you think. Besides, we need a butler."

The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS doors as he turned his attention back to Strax.

"I believe the great and glorious Sontoran Empire has abandoned me because of my failures. While returning to the heat of battle would be grand, the lizard has convinced me I may be of more use here."

"Well, we'll check in from time to time. Make sure it's what you still want."

Strax straightened and saluted, then turned to Rose. "Until we meet again."

Rose saluted back loosely, waved to Vastra and Jenny, then went inside.

* * *

 

Jenny Tyler stood outside the flat door, listening intently for any sign that she shouldn't be there. It was silent, and she debated if that was a good or bad thing. Taking a deep breath, remembering the young man she just left in the fifty-second century, the split decision they had made with him knowing she was from his future and what was going to happen, she knocked.

There was a shuffle, and she stiffened as she waited for the door to open.

It did so slowly, and she was taken aback by how much this Tim still looked like the one she left sleeping. Shorter hair, older eyes, glasses because of that, but still the same Tim.

"Jen," He said, more a statement then anything else. Not harsh, either, which made things a bit easier.

She took a deep breath, "Do you have any idea what it's like to look at the love of your life while they're … so hurt, and you can't do anything about it?"

He smirked, rubbing at the temple he was injured on, tracing the scar she'd wondered about for years. "I got an idea, yeah."

"I wish I could go back." She admitted. "I wish could have been the kind of mum to Olivia you wanted me to be."

"Me too," He said softly. "But you wouldn't be happy in this life."

"Not exactly happy without you." She countered. "And I know it's too late. I know you have someone else."

"Elizabeth?" Tim asked with a frown. Jen nodded, and he laughed. "I haven't been with Liz in, what, three years?"

Jenny shook her head. "I saw you with her this morning. Unless …." She looked around Tim into the living room.

"If you're looking for Livie, she's with her grandparents."

"You let our three-year-old daughter go off with my parents in their TARDIS, when you wouldn't even let me take her to old Earth Disney world in mine?" She growled. "You heard the stories from Melody, why would you even think for a second that was a good idea? I may not have a natural instinct to be motherly, but I certainly wouldn't drag Livie into dangerous situations!"

"Liv's eight." Tim corrected. "And before you ask, yes, your TARDIS has been sitting at the edge of the park for years. It's been an out of order restroom that people complain about, but never seem truly bothered by." He smiled, and leaned against the door. Jenny stared at him with her mouth open for long enough that Tim reached over and closed it.

"So … so I missed five years of my daughter's life?"

"Oh, no," Tim said, straightening up and putting his hands in his pockets. "No you were there for birthdays, appropriate holidays, and one particular party that … well, spoilers. Can't tell you what happens there but, I will say you have something to look forward to." He winked. "But in the meantime, do you want to come in? I'm not expecting her back for a few hours, but you know how your dad drives. Could be a couple days, could be five minutes, but I'm willing to take that risk if you are."

Jenny continued to stare at him as Tim backed up into his flat. Hope started to creep in her chest, but despite how dangerous she knew it was she followed him anyway. Just to see where it would lead, just to see if maybe a second chance was on the other side of the door.

* * *

 

"Has my body been recovered yet?" Jack asked as his head was placed on a robotic body.

"Yes, sir," One of the extremely pale assistants in the Shadow Proclamation head quarters replied. The medical team there was doing their very best to give Jack some quality life as it was unlikely he'd pass on any time soon.

"Good." He said, looking at the fairly slender body he was being given. "I was rather fond of that jacket, and there are a few other things on it I'd like to get." He then moved his new arms down his new body, feeling the sensations of his fingers along his abdomen. "Oooh, sensory. I take it there will be a skin membrane of some kind put over it?"

"Absolutely, sir." She nodded.

He smiled, leaning toward her a bit. "Any other parts I you haven't shown me yet?" He asked with a wink.

She blushed, "Might be."

"Well let's find out if they work alright, shell we?"

* * *

 

River walked around the corner, adjusting her terrible dress and fluffing her hair, hoping it still looked roughly the same as when she left.

Her father was right where she left him, and he smiled at her.

"Are you ready to dance now, Melody?" He asked, extending his hand toward her.

"Are mother and Anthony finished?" She asked, and her father chuckled, causing what wrinkles he did have to deepen. "Wait until the song's over." She said, taking his hand and grasping it tightly as she rested her weary head on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have traded it for anything." She said to him. "The life I've had? Doesn't matter how I've had to live it; things could have been so much worse."

"I know," He said, and River felt him place a kiss on the crown of her head. "And while there were times your mother and I wished we could have been there every second of it, we know that this was our best chance."

River relaxed a bit, her thoughts drifting to her parent's younger selves, the Doctor and Rose, and how they all remained blissfully unaware of all that was about to happen.

* * *

 

When Tim was returned his apartment in the twenty-first century things felt … weird. Not because they were. Nothing outside of himself was different, yet at the same time it was very much so.

He was committed, sorta, to his best friend's daughter. Whom he also considered to be his best friend. And yet, he wasn't, because there would be versions of her that didn't know he had just promised to spend the rest of his now stupidly long life with her.

It had been a haze of the best pain killers he'd ever had, of being asked questions like "have you considered life extensions?" and "how long do will you stay with me?". It was feeling like he was breathing the purest air there ever was and having more energy than he knew what to with, all while being unable to move because he was in pain. It was seeing things from his own future with a clarity he never knew was possible, and earning himself a headache from more than just the graze wound as he suppressed what he learned.

All he knew as he looked around at the evidence of his drab life was that it was only a small part. A fragment. That he could have fun, but never really be with anyone, that there would be a time when he was going to have to dress a bit more sensible and buy hair dye for the wrong reasons.

And that he really, for no reason he could understand, liked the name Olivia.

* * *

 

Melody Jones woke up in her cell and instantly wondered if all the things she'd seen and done were a dream. It felt like a dream, couldn't possibly be real.

But on her pillow was a deep blue piece of paper with gold writing that read: _You'd have made a wonderful companion in other circumstances. Be good._

She didn't recognize the writing, but her heart still raced with the possibility.

The sound of the warden's boots tampered the hope a bit before the befuddled woman came into view.

"Jones," She said, "It's your lucky day. You're getting out on good behavior."

Melody smiled, knowing full well who left her the note, and that everything she'd seen and done was completely real.

* * *

 

It had taken the Doctor longer to drop off Melody at the prison than Rose had anticipated, but every time she had poked his mind, he would simply send her a wave of affection that was tinged with glee and mischief. And while she wanted to see what he was up to, there was a small part of her that really couldn't leave the Ponds.

They were in the galley, Amy sitting in a plush chair the TARDIS provided, sipping tea and eating a small meal while Melody slept in her arms. She still looked like she hadn't had a shower, but at least opted to change into the more comfortable sweats and jumper Rose had offered her instead of remaining in her hospital gown. Rory was back in his own clothes as well, more focused on his daughter than on the meal beside him.

It was an intimate scene, but Rose had an almost feral need to protect them even with them safely inside the TARDIS.

The engines finally roared to life, and Rose watched Melody's eyes drift shut at the sound only to have them pop back open again upon landing.

"I'm surprised she doesn't cry." Rory noted. "I mean she does, obviously, or how else would we have known how ravenous she was before?"

Amy chuckled, her smile wider than the sound warranted. "Think she just finds it soothing, the TARDIS. Sorta like when you rock her and stop before she's fully asleep. Her eyes just reopen.

The Doctor entered the galley, beaming like he'd done something wonderful. "And how is the littlest Pond?" he asked.

"Fed. Changed, thank you TARDIS," Rory said, directing the last bit to the ceiling. Rose wondered if he heard the appreciation in the TARDIS's hum. "And now we think she's about ready to fall asleep."

She cooed.

"I know that, and you know that, but they don't." The Doctor replied, and she gurgled. "They'll get used to it, promise. They're new at it and they don't understand you as well as I do." He then looked to Amy and Rory, his smile stretching. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah," Amy said nervously, "But … how are we going to explain …?"

"Follow me," he said, beckoning them with his finger.

The Ponds got up, and Rose followed them and the Doctor out the galley and into the console room where the Old Girl conveniently placed them. They headed out the main doors, and Rose was as startled as Amy and Rory to find themselves on a sidewalk instead of inside the flat.

"Doctor, this isn't where we live." Amy replied, adjusting her hold on Melody.

"Actually, Pond, you will find that it is." The Doctor replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys. He tossed them to Rory, winking at Rose a moment before he turned to the town house with the bright, TARDIS blue door. "Your home, acquired for you nine months ago. Everything you'll need for your wonderful, human lives are inside, including everything you'll need to get settled with Melody."

Rose shook her head, beaming proudly at her husband. "Never cease to amaze me, you." She said, closing the small distance between them and wrapping her arms around his waist. He straightened his bow tie smugly before putting his arm around her waist and watched the Ponds take in their new home.

"But our jobs?" Rory said suddenly.

"When you're ready, we'll take you back to formally quit them. As for money, I moved some from my UNIT funded account into yours. More than enough to live on until you find new ones. Oh," He gestured to the car parked in front of the house. "Not your favorite, Rory, but your favorite isn't exactly child friendly. That one, however, is."

"You bought us a house." Rory said. "And a car? You bought us a house, and a car, and gave us money to live off of? But … how are we going to explain Melody?"

"He did say nine months." Rose pointed out. "Could just tell your family when we take you back to quit your jobs." She added with a shrug.

"Or it could be a surprise." Amy smirked. "Really give your Dad a shock. But anyway, let's get inside."

"Actually," The Doctor said, surprising them all, "We're going to leave that to the pair of you."

"What?" Amy asked, her smile fading.

The Doctor glanced at Rose then stepped toward their friend, stroking Melody's head while putting his other hand on Amy's shoulder. "You've been through a lot, and your lives are about to change in a big way. One you had no time to prepare for. We'll let you get settled, rest, allow the three of you to bond properly. But if you need us for any reason, like you feel off, or wrong in anyway, you call us immediately."

Amy studied his face then nodded, pulling him as close as she could and hugging him with one arm. "Thank you." She said to him before stepping back and moving to Rose. She gave her the same one armed hug, "Thank you both. For saving us, for helping Rory, for everything."

"Any time." Rose said, turning to Rory and giving him a hug as well.

After one last goodbye, she and the Doctor returned to the TARDIS.

With the doors closed, and them returned to the Vortex, the Doctor opened his bond.

Worry, fear, anxiety, and loss swept over Rose hard enough to make her knees buckle. She caught herself before collapsing, looking at her husband as he flopped down on the jumpseat.

"What's wrong?" She asked, moving toward him and sitting beside him.

"She's still out there. Cass's sister who wanted revenge so badly. She's out there, and by now has discovered we have the real Melody. I didn't want to tell Amy, because with the kind of trauma she went through it's the last thing she'd need to worry about. You humans, you have hormonal connections to your children, you bond. Mothers have nine months to do it while they wait for their child to be born, but Amy didn't get that. And then there's Melody, with her DNA altered. What will happen to her? How will it affect her, if it affects her at all? You, you rewrote yourself, but she was injected with it. Maybe she'll just be a host, like Donna, I don't know. There are so many possibilities, but I can't keep them with us."

"It's their time to leave us." Rose said with understanding, and the Doctor nodded.

"Wish it was under happier circumstances." He said with a sad smile. "Not that a baby isn't happy, it's brilliant. But they way it came to be…."

"Don't blame yourself," Rose said firmly. "Couldn't have known this would happen."

"No, we couldn't have." The Doctor said, brow furrowing in thought. "Cass hated Time Lords. Said we were no different than Daleks. At that point in the war, she wasn't wrong. I tried to save her, I really did. I don't blame her sister for wanting revenge, but I wish there was a way for her to see reason." Guilt washed over him. "I wish she'd let me tell her that I hated them, too."

"Maybe you'll get the chance one day." Rose said, barely louder than a whisper. "She's still out there, like you said."

"Yeah." He sighed. He then turned toward her. "Let's go to our planet." He said. "Been a while since we've been to Woman Wept, haven't gone once in this regeneration, and I think I need to have a moment with my wife."

"Only ones on board now." Rose teased.

"Doesn't matter." He said, springing to his feet. "Never stopped us before." And with that, the Doctor set the coordinates.

"When did you drop them off?" Rose asked. "When did you make Melody's birthday Earth time?"

"February 12th, 2011." He replied as he danced around the console. "Right around nine months from the time we picked up Rory and what turned out to be Amy's Flesh Avatar."

"We'll need to remember that." She said, and the TARDIS showed her an image of a calendar in mind. "Old Girl will, that's for sure."

The Doctor merely smiled before throwing the switch, and sending them on their way.

* * *

 

She wasn't sure how long it had been since they seen the Ponds when her phone rang with Rory's number coming up. Rose and the Doctor had been passing time by looking for Cass's sister, as well as getting into trouble when they didn't intend to, and simply hadn't kept track.

"Hey Rory," She greeted warmly.

"Rose," He said nervously. "We sorta need you and the Doctor to come see us. It's … it's important."

A chill went down Rose's spin, and she inadvertently let it slip through their bond. The Doctor shot out from underneath the console, and looked at her with worry, routine maintenance all but forgotten. "We'll be right there, Rory." She said, and the Doctor was on his feet, plucking the phone from her hand and attaching it to the coordinate panel on the console. Once it was set, the pair of them flew the TARDIS to the Ponds' home shortly after Rory made the call.

As soon as they landed, the Doctor was out the doors and running for the house, all his fears from before reawakened.

Rose was right behind him, moving through the open door and at least remembering to close it before heading into the living room.

Amy sat on the couch, cradling a smiling, happy, still small looking Melody on her lap. Amy's cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were red and puffy. "Glad to see you Raggedy Man. It's been a while."

"Amy, what's wrong?" The Doctor asked, kneeling in front of her.

She tried to smile, but failed. "I'm never going to see my little girl grow up." Amy choked, and the Doctor rubbed her arms in soothing motions.

"Can't think like that, Amy." He said soothingly, looking back to Rose with uncertainty.

She wasn't sure she understood herself. She remembered what Martha was like when suffering from Postpartum depression after MJ, but it didn't look like this. And while she knew that circumstances and people were different, she still had to wonder if it was something that simple. She suspected that if it was something of the sorts, they'd have heard from them before Melody got this old. Or Rory would have gotten her proper help.

So while the Doctor tried to sooth Amy as she cried over little Melody, Rose turned to him.

Rory, who was calm in the face of everything, and still was now, held her eye as he moved to the couch arm and picked up the remote. He turned on the telly. "It's the news," he said. "When we came back from Demon's run, as well as after our honeymoon, we watched the news. Most reliable source for the date and time, really." He said, shifting his gaze to the screen.

Rose turned, feeling the shock and cold dread her husband had as his eyes landed on the flickering box.

She followed it, eyes falling on the bottom right corner where the date read February 12th, 2012.

Rose turned back, gaping at Melody as she babbled and cooed, and looked no older than four months old.


	32. A Complex LIfe with Melody Pond

Melody laid perfectly still on the scanner in the TARDIS medbay, Amy having managed to get her to sleep before placing her down gently. And as the scanner passed over her tiny body, The Doctor, Rose, Amy, and Rory all stood as close together as possible staring at the computer screen as readings and calculations began to form.

No one said a word, and Rose was certain the parents were hardly able to breathe while they waited for the results.

"Oh," The Doctor uttered the first word in quite sometime, and Rose and the Ponds turned to him expectantly. His eyebrows were high, eyes wide, surprise on his face. "Well, that's certainly better news than her being stunted."

"Explain, Raggedy Man." Amy snapped, and he looked at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Right, yes. Well, you see, a long time ago when we found out Rose had huons in her system, I did scans."

"Scans?" Amy repeated.

"Yes, scans, just like I've done with Melody. And those scans read the same way your little girl's does." He said.

"Meaning?" Rory asked, and the Doctor whipped around to look at the man standing to the other side.

"Meaning she's growing slower. About a third of the rate of a normal human child, but that's because she's going to live about three times as long."

Silence, and Rose chanced a look at their friends to see how it would affect them.

Rory and Amy stared at each other over the Doctor's head.

"How is that possible?" Rory finally asked. "I remember you saying huons were deadly."

"They are, they can be, but the way they did this, the way they injected her, was smart. Small amounts over time, almost like a vaccine, causing her body to build up a tolerance to them. And she was developing, just a tiny thing, and the huons were becoming a part of her. It mixed in and bonded with her molecular structure, causing her to be this. Oh the amount of time and research and … experiments," The Doctor sneered at the last word. "How many people, children, really, had to suffer for Her to have figure out how to do this properly."

"Oh, I'd say about eighteen." Rory replied off handedly.

Rose frowned as the Doctor looked up at him in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"Lucky hunch." Rory said with a bit of sarcasm, exchanging a loaded look with Amy before turning his gaze toward his daughter.

"Okay, so, Melody is all loaded up with this huon thing, and they're making her age slower. But it's not hurting her, either. Experiments aside, how would they know that's what needed to be done?" Amy asked.

"Because a very long time ago, She trapped Rose, Tim, Donna, and I on a space station. She knocked us all out and all but dissected Rose to understand her abilities. She would have found the trace huon particles in her DNA."

"Not sure I understand how it could happen, though," Rose said.

The TARDIS hummed an almost guilty tune, and the Doctor's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh." He said.

"Oh?" Amy repeated. "What the hell do you mean 'Oh'? What's Oh?" She punctuated with a slap on his arm.

The Doctor swallowed. "Well, you see, had the worst happened and Melody was still in her possession, _nothing_ would have happened. Huons are particles in the heart of the TARDIS, part of the time vortex, and while little jumps here and there with a time capsule or vortex manipulator may have given her brief exposure, she was here, with us, in the TARDIS. And we spent quite a lot of time in the Vortex while everyone changed and slept and such after getting you two back." He said, hands flying about.

"So you're saying she was, what, activated while we were back on the TARDIS?" Rose asked, starting to understand but not sure she could trust her reasoning.

"Remember how Donna was pulled on board?" He asked, and she nodded. "The heart of the TARDIS recognized the huon signature and drew her in, activated them, if you will. Melody was already on board, so when we entered the Vortex, the results She tried to mimic were … activated as well." The Doctor looked to Melody. "You still had huons in you, but they were part of the TARDIS. She had no affect on them. But if I had lost you to the void, they'd have never been activated in the Torchwood lab where the Racnoss had developed their own. Melody, well, hers would have been dormant if we didn't save her."

"So if we had taken the Flesh Avatar like Psycho Smith expected us to, Melody would have been normal." Rory asked.

"Normal, but not with us." Amy reminded him just as it seemed Rory might actually get angry. "I'd rather have a little girl who's been altered by fluke and with us, than one who was normal but lost to a mad woman."

"But how didn't we notice them activating?" Rose asked. "Donna and me, we glowed when they were activated. Why didn't Melody?"

"Maybe she did," The Doctor shrugged. "Did you two notice anything, first time we took off when we all were on board the TARDIS?"

Amy and Rory looked at each other, contemplating.

"I was … talking to Mickey." Rory said thoughtfully. "He peeked at her before we took off."

"I think I had my eyes closed." Amy admitted. "I don't remember Mickey or the lizard lady and potato leaving."

The Doctor looked to Rose. "Was helping you pilot." She reminded him.

"None of us were looking." He said with amusement. "A great moment in Melody's life and we all missed it."

"So … she's like Rose, but Rose is immortal." Amy pointed out.

"Rose was also a goddess of time for a few moments and did unspeakable things." The Doctor countered.

"I tied myself to the Doctor, but it was also entirely dependent on a time line falling into place." She added.

"So is it possible you did the same for Melody?" Rory asked.

Something tickled at Rose's mind, an echo of a memory just out of reach. "Maybe." Rose said. "I brought you back to life because …."

"Time lines." She and the Doctor said at once.

"Melody." He said with understanding, rising from his seat and making to clutch at his head but stopping. "She was what was always meant to happen, it's why it was imperative you two got married. She had to be born, but why?"

"Don't need to figure that out just yet, yeah?" Rose said, reaching out and easing his arms down. "But we know she's important. So it's possible that when I was Bad Wolf at the Pandorica I did make that adjustment. That Melody wouldn't gain that sort of … power, or something, unless we saved her."

"But that doesn't help the fact that now she's going to look six at her High School graduation." Rory pointed out. "And will she even have that kind of intelligence at eighteen, or will she still be learning to write her own name?"

"Rory," Amy tried to ease.

"No, you said yourself we'll never see our little girl grow up, and you were right." He insisted, his voice getting louder with each word, arms going higher and gesturing more wildly. "At this rate we'll never see her reach adulthood, not in time to enjoy any of it. We can never send her to school, she'll never have friends her own age, she is stunted for life in ways we never even imagined."

At the last, harshly snapped word, Melody woke up crying.

Rory dropped his hands to his side as guilt came over him. Amy glared at him, gesturing to Melody in frustration before going over and picking up her daughter.

"Here, Pond, let me." The Doctor offered gently, arms outstretched. "You and Rory can go hash it out in your room."

Amy nodded, handing Melody over to the Doctor before looking expectantly at her husband.

Rory nodded, not meeting the gaze of anyone in the room as he followed Amy outside.

"Why don't you hold her?" The Doctor encouraged Rose once they were along.

"Was never very good with babies," She winced, chewing her lip as Melody squirmed in the Doctor's hold.

"Try it," He encouraged.

Nervously, Rose opened her arms. The Doctor beamed, his excitement suspiciously strong as he set Melody in Rose's arms. She didn't calm instantly, but her cries did slow before Rose even began to bounce her gently.

"Look at that," The Doctor cooed. "You're a natural."

"Oi, hush you." Rose said, unable to resist smiling at him with her tongue between her teeth as Melody's cried changed to coos.

"Oh yes, she does smell nice. I know that for absolute certainty." The Doctor said to Melody. When she cooed again he made a disgusted face. "I smell nice too. Not at all like fish."

"A bit like fish," Rose sided with Melody, and the baby smiled a bit brighter.

"Right, of course, side against me." The Doctor said as he fussed with his bow tie. "And I can't help if fish fingers just happened to be what I had for lunch."

Rose laughed, adjusting Melody so she was resting against her shoulder. "Coulda helped it, but you didn't." She reminded him.

The Doctor seemed to relent to that, moving his head side to side in reluctant agreement as he looked about the room. "Should move somewhere else. The Old Girl will show Amy and Rory where we are, won't you?" He said, and the TARDIS hummed in confirmation.

Rose carried Melody out the medbay with the Doctor guiding her to the console room with his arm around her waist. She moved to one of the jumpseats, tilting back and resting with her feet on the edge of the console.

The Doctor ducked down underneath, and Rose shut her eyes as she cuddled the little one.

She might have fallen asleep, because it didn't seem like too long after that that Rory and Amy entered the room.

She cleared her throat, "So Rory and I were talking, and while we know the circumstances aren't great, we get that they are what they are. And what's more, they're the way they are because you did what you could to save her. But we do want to see her grow up, at least as much as we can, so we think we worked out a compromise."

"A way for you to sort of make it up to us." Rory added, not exactly bitter but certainly allowing his feelings on the matter to show.

"Excellent. Anything you need, Ponds, and we will do it."

Amy and Rory exchanged a quick glance and nod before she said, "We want you to help us raise Melody."

"What?" Rose said, sitting up straight while doing her best not to stir the baby.

"Well, if you guys take her for a while, like a few months or something, then bring her back to us for a week or two, it won't seem like a lot of time has passed, you know? Not for us."

"We know it may mean missing out on some firsts, like words or steps, but Amy and I agreed that while those milestones are special, her aging appropriately in time with us seems like the better deal." Rory added, calmer and less accusing than before.

"We know you two didn't want kids, and is a lot to ask, but it was the only way we could figure out how to maintain a balance." Amy finished.

Rose looked to the Doctor.

" _We can do this_." He said confidently, pairing his mental encouragement with a physical grin.

" _Wasn't so sure I wanted Jenny, and now I'm raising a baby that_ isn't _ours?"_ Rose countered, keeping her expression neutral.

" _You're a natural,_ " He subtly gestured to the way Rose continued to cuddle Melody. " _And it's not like you'll have to lose sleep. Time Lord husband, I don't need to sleep like you do. I'd be on permanent night duty._ "

" _Nappies. Potty training. Baby puke. Not just lack of sleep I'm worried about."_

" _I speak baby. She cries, I'll know what she wants."_

"We know you're talking over your bond thingy." Amy teased. "Do that around Melody, she may never learn to speak."

The Doctor glanced at Amy with smile then turned to Rose. " _For them. And there's nothing to say we can't wander off for years in between drop offs."_ He reminded.

Rose took a deep breath. "Yeah," She said, making the Doctor break out into a wide, stupid grin that had her fighting the urge to copy him. "But she has a lot of catching up to do, year one and all."

"So, let's … let's do this." Amy said with a quiver to her voice. Rory gripped her hand, and she shrugged. "It's fine. Really. Better than missing it all, yeah?"

"Okay," The Doctor said. "Step on out the TARDIS. We'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

 

"Melody, get back here!" Rose called as the little one darted down the corridors, the never ending maze of corridors that even she got lost in after a hundred years. It was a crawl, but it didn't matter, little legs scooting with arms and fueled by giggles and human plus speed led the little one around the corner and Rose didn't see which one.

The TARDIS hummed, showed Rose where Melody had gone, and tried not to laugh at her Wolf when she huffed and rolled her eyes.

When Rose entered the console room, the Doctor was already sitting Melody on his chest, cooing and laughing with her and abandoning any and all work he was doing on the Time Ship.

"Of course I would find you two in cahoots." Rose said as sternly as she could. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, but a smile threatened to break out as she couldn't decide who looked more adorable: the Time Lord acting like an idiot or the curly haired little one who found it hysterical. "Ya quite done? 'Cause it's been about three months and she's about ready to be returned home to Mom and Dad for a week so they can see how much she's grown, yeah?"

"Right, yes." The Doctor said, nearly giving Rose a heart attack as he jumped to his feet while still holding on to Melody and inevitably stumbled. She was certain the TARDIS extended the edge of the console just enough to prevent the Doctor from falling backward, though she would never ask and she was sure the time ship would never tell. "Well, Melody was telling me all about the bath she just finished. Which, by the way, she said was perfection, you finally got it right. But by routine standards I would say that means a bottle and then bed time."

"Yes, thank god." Rose sighed, and at the Doctor's amused glance she blushed.

"By the time you girls are up and ready, I should be done." He finished, bringing Melody over to Rose.

"You'd better be," Rose half scolded. With Melody on her hip, she brought her down to the nursery the TARDIS conveniently set up right next to their room. The door was that wonderful shade of TARDIS blue that seemed to signify a person of importance. Even the Ponds themselves didn't get the honor, so it was a partial surprise to Rose when she discovered this one, and illustrations of a pond with music notes above it (and what she thought might be a river connecting to it).

The room itself was a simple, sensible nursery with a cot, and a chair for rocking where Rose went to feed Melody the TARDIS provided bottle. There was a change table and a pail for the used nappies, and all the toys Melody could ever want. The room was basic white with linens in ultra pale blues, yellows, and pinks. It was comfortable, yet common to the naked eye.

Rose set Melody down in the cot where she grabbed her blankie and began to chew on it. "Goodnight, Sweet girl." Rose whispered. "And in the morning, you'll see your Mummy and Daddy again. She moved to the door, turned out the light, and looked to the ceiling.

The one thing that made Melody's room so distinct: the projection on the ceiling copying what was just outside the TARDIS. Sometimes it was the night sky of the planet they were one, sometimes it was the wondrous swirl and dance of the colors of the Vortex, but mostly it was as it was now: the stars in the Universe as they floated in space.

Melody cooed in wonder, and not for the first time did Rose want to know what she thought.

But as it was, she was too knackered for such contemplation, and headed to her own bed to sleep as well.

* * *

 

He heard her stir long before Rose ever would, and the Doctor eagerly closed his book and set in on the bed side table. He left the bed he shared with his wife and darted into the nursery, allowing Rose to not lose any of the sleep she still cherished after all these years. Not that there hadn't been a few times he found her already going to Melody's side when he heard the little one stir while he was in the console room. He knew she'd never admit it, but there was a slight sparkle to Rose's eye that he'd catch now and again that told him that despite her reservations (and frequent grumbles and complaints), she had fallen just as much in love with Melody as he had. And that there was a part of her that truly loved playing Mum.

The TARDIS had Melody's bottle set on the table beside the rocking chair, and with a grin, the Doctor scooped up the little one and brought her over.

"Here we go, Melody," he said gently as he settled her in his arms, reaching for the bottle that she took eagerly despite being half asleep. "Not fish custard, but Rose has told me you can't have that for a bit yet. But soon," he said conspiratorially, leaning in to whisper it. Melody grunted. "Is so good." He frowned, laughing a moment later as she sleepily opened her eyes to show the glint of amusement.

His hearts swelled, and he couldn't help but lightly kiss her head just beneath a strawberry blonde curl. "Would you like to know a secret, Melody?" He asked in a whisper against her skin. "Bit of a dream come true for me, this. I know you're not ours, and pretty soon you'll see your Mum and Dad again, but these last few months have been what I used to imagine our future to be, when I allowed myself to dream what I thought was an impossible dream: Me and Rose, raising a little one."

Melody made a light, sleepy coo as her eyes started to fall shut.

"I think we're doing alright, too." He whispered even softer as he watched her drift back off to sleep.

* * *

 

"She looks the same." Amy said, the relief palatable in her voice. The second they stepped out of the TARDIS, Melody's little arms outstretched, her fists making grabbing motions, until she was back in Amy's arms.

"She crawls, have fun with that," Rose said, stuffing her hands in her pockets and no longer sure what to do with them now that Melody didn't occupy them.

"We baby proofed the house months ago thinking maybe she was just small and would surprise us by crawling any day." Rory said, offering a finger to Melody's grabby little fists.

"Dada," She said as her fingers wrapped around it. Everyone stilled and stared at her. A proud little smile formed as she repeated, "Dada."

"Please tell me she hasn't spoken before now?" Amy asked, her eyes watering as she craned her head to have her daughter look at her.

"First word." The Doctor beamed. "All here for that one!"

"Mum mum." Melody said as she looked at Amy.

"We'll leave you two to get used to her again." Rose said, taking a step back into the TARDIS. "Be back for her at the end of the month?"

"Really? That long?" Amy asked, a bit panicked.

"Stages, Pond." The Doctor said. "Melody seems to be developing mentally at the normal rate for a human, but physically she is limited to her size. Lots can happen in a month, and you'll want to get in as many firsts as you can. We'll be back, and then, like before five minutes gone, and you'll have a bigger Melody to hold on to."

"We still need to quit our jobs." Rory pointed out. "Or at least me mine."

"Yes, well … end of the month?" The Doctor asked, pulling Rose inside the TARDIS and shutting the doors.

He ran up the console, through the switch to put them in the Vortex, and returned to Rose. Before she could ask what he was up to, he pulled her toward him and kissed her deeply and fiercely. Thoughts flew through his mind and mixed with emotions that were both strange and familiar.

" _Love seeing you with her. Glad she's gone so I get you back. Amazing woman."_ His words in Rose's mind, mixed with love and desire, made her high. Tingles moved along her spin as a smile threatened to break their kiss apart. It was contagious, and soon the were grinning between kisses.

"Where we off to now, then?" She asked, pushing him back enough to let her breath and speak.

"Anywhere you want to go, Ms Tyler, and any when. But only after we make one, very important stop."

"Where's that then?" She asked.

He twitched his eyebrows before surprising her by suddenly scooping her up and bringing her to their bedroom.

* * *

 

Months turned to years in between visits. As Melody's growth started to slow, Rose and the Doctor kept her longer.

"Potty training," He said as they handed her back. "She's about ten now, so you should probably get on that!"

"Ten? She's not supposed to be three until next week! She shouldn't be double digits for her proper age for a while!" Amy exclaimed, hair pulled back and flour on her face from what ever she was making in the two hour gap Rose and the Doctor gave her and Rory before returning their daughter.

"Yes, well, when we picked her up it was a year and a half ago for us. Quite frankly she's ready, but refuses to try until she's with her Mummy and Daddy." He said with a shrug. "Anyway, we'll be off now." He said, turning and heading into the TARDIS.

When the doors closed, Rose turned to the bewildered Amy. "Don't mind him," She waved off the Doctor's actions. "We were in a park on some planet and happened to run into his old self. Got a tongue lashing for having such a young companion because of all the danger."

"Danger?" Amy asked worriedly, clutching Melody close. "You two aren't up to your normal antics with her on board, are you?"

"Course not." Rose said, and she hoped beyond all hope that Amy did not catch the little wink Melody gave. Amy didn't need to know that just before the park incident they were on a planet where the flowers were as big as trees and Melody was almost carried off by an ant the size of a horse.

She darted back on to the TARDIS after saying a quick goodbye.

"Chips." She said simply as she found her husband collapsed on a jumpseat, limbs spread out as much as he could make them. She stared, waiting for him to respond. "Could go see Sarah Jane. Been a bit. Last we saw her, Luke was heading off to college." Still nothing. She rolled her eyes. "Impressive Time Lord falls asleep because a little girl tuckers him out."

"I'm not sleeping, I'm resting. In trance-like state. Chips and Sarah Jane, I heard."

"And?"

"And I want to make sure the people of Florensia are alright after our ten year old nearly burnt down the biggest city on the planet." He said as he finally peeled himself off the jumpseat.

"She's not ours," Rose reminded him, though the words stung.

"She's ours as much as she's Amy and Rory's at this point." He countered. "Out of ten years, she'd had them in her life for about three of them. She calls us Mum and Dad, we are raising her and often claiming her as our own. She's our little girl, too, and she nearly caused thousands of blue and green, peaceful aliens to be homeless. We should check it out." He said with a fond smile. "Maybe go back just before we left and make sure we can't help with the mess. You know how toddlers can be."

* * *

 

"She's sixteen years old?" Donna asked Rose as they sat on a park bench, sipping coffee from a takeaway cup and watching their kids play on the jungle gym not far away.

Rose shrugged. "I'm nearly two hundred now. After a bit you just sorta, I dunno, go with it, I guess."

"So explain to me again how you two came about this little bundle of sugar and spice? 'Cause she bloody well don't look like either of you, unless it's from a different him." Donna said with a grin. "He have a love child you didn't know about?"

Rose laughed, and Donna did as well. "She's adopted." Rose replied. "And you know bloody well I can't explain how we came across her or you'll get a migraine." She made sure to point out, much to the disappointment of her friend.

Donna's lips curled as she tilted her head in reluctant compliance.

It was hard to remember what Donna did and didn't know before the meta crisis, and a lot of the alien things she did know had gone fuzzy. She recalled Rose was going to live so long as the Doctor did without problem, of how Jenny was created, and that Donna herself had been to alien planets. But she couldn't recall the very aliens she'd met, or why everyone took the ATMOS devices out of their cars when it was so good for the environment.

"So you all had a sweet sixteen then? And how's she going to handle school?" Donna asked, gesturing about and nearly sloshing her coffee all over the place.

"She's not going to school," The Doctor said as he came up behind them, startling Donna as he stuck his head between them. "No need, really. She'll learn everything she'd ever need to know out in the Universe, traveling with us."

"Oh yeah? Spelling? Arithmetic? Gonna squeeze that in somehow?" Donna challenged.

"Yes, I think I can squeeze in basics she was learning ages ago." He replied with a mix of sarcasm and annoyance.

"Driver's Ed?" Donna teased, mimicking his expression and making Rose laugh.

"She's got you there." Rose grinned.

"Oi, I'm a brilliant driver." He countered straightening his bow tie as he stood to come around and properly sat beside Rose.

"These days, maybe." Rose retorted.

"Well," Donna said, dropping a hand on Rose's knee. "Been fun, but me and Joshua need to be heading home. Shawn's meeting us and we're heading out to Mum's for tea. Yay." She added with an eye roll.

"Say hi to your Granddad for us, will ya?" Rose asked as she and Donna stood for a hug.

"He'll be seeing you next week when you come around for supper." Donna reminded. "Been eager to meet your newest little one."

"Take care, Donna." The Doctor said as he gave her a hug.

"You, too, Space man."

She left, shouting at her boy to come along, and Rose and the Doctor stood at the edge of the park and waited.

"What does she see you doin' when you straighten your bow tie?" She asked without looking back at him.

"Probably fiddle with my collar." He replied. "Best she see me as my last self as a precaution. Hasn't noticed the different in speech patterns, so that's good. Don't know what she could handle."

Melody skipped up to them, causing them to cease the conversation as they smiled down at her.

She paused, frowning at the Doctor. "I don't like it when I can't see you right." She noted in her small, five year old sounding voice to go with her five year old looking body.

"We head back to the TARDIS, I'll turn of the perception filter." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they headed to the TARDIS. "School? What in the universe is Donna thinking?"

* * *

 

"We're enrolling Melody in school." Amy said in way of conversation as the blended family sat around the dinner table, a spread of everyone's favorites laid out as they did every time the Doctor and Rose came to drop off Melody.

"School?" The Doctor frowned, back to his old self now that he no longer had to disguise himself. He stopped with a fish finger covered in custard nearly to his mouth, feature screwing up in disgust at Amy's statement.

"Yes, Doctor, school." Amy said in a slightly condescending tone.

"What are you sending her to school for? There's nothing she can learn in schools here. Believe me, I know, it will only confuse her. Might even lead to teachers following her home and suddenly finding themselves on an alien world." He grimaced. "Never ends well."

"Oh, come off it, Doctor." Amy waved away his worries. "Not like they'd follow her to the TARDIS, and if they do show up on our door, well, we'll figure it out."

"And we are trying to raise her as normal as possible while she's with us." Rory reminded. "Just like she has friends and goes to day care, come fall she will be enrolled in school. She looks like the right age, we have been acting like she is the right age, so we will continue on as if she isn't technically old enough for a driver's permit."

"Fine." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "If you must make her life boring and normal."

Rose glanced at Rory, subtly shrugged and rolled her eyes. He smirked, glanced at the Doctor, then shook a bit with quiet laughter.

"Can I drive a car?" Melody asked thoughtfully when the silence continued.

"No!" All for adults replied resoundingly.

* * *

 

"Do I have to go to Earth?" Melody asked as Rose walked into her room to round her up.

She frowned, "Why don't you want to go see your Mum and Dad, sweetheart?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning back against the bedroom wall.

Melody, age twenty-four in reality, eight in the eyes of her parents, didn't seem to be able to look Rose in the eye. "You guys are Mum and Dad, they're Mummy and Daddy." Melody replied.

"Yes, but you don't call them that." Rose reminded her. "They're still Mum and Dad, because they're your proper parents and you're a bit old for the other names. And you love them, and usually you're jumping at the chance to go see 'em as soon as you can, so why don't you want to this time?"

Melody shifted on the bed, wringing her fingers and looking at everything but Rose. "They're fighting all the time."

"Doctor and me fight. Married people do that, yeah?"

"Yeah, well, you two don't fight like this. I mean, he gets fish custard on the good couch in the library, and you yell, but it's forgotten 'cause TARDIS cleans it up. He gets upset when you put yourself in danger for us, but the results mean we're all safe so he can't begrudge you that. We all head to some planet or time, have a laugh, and it's forgotten. Mum and Dad, proper Mum and Dad, they argue about things that can't be fixed."

"Like?" Rose asked.

"Me." Melody replied. "How they're losing time with me, and I have too much of a life without them. And the fight about having more kids. Dad wants another, Mum is terrified what happened to me would happen to the next, and …."

"Melody, Melody, Melody," Rose said moving swiftly to her side and pulling her down to lean on her shoulder. Melody's curls tickled her face, and she reached up and smoothed them down. "Those things? You can't worry about those, Sweetheart. Your Mum and Dad love you, and it killed them to know they would miss out on so much of your life. What happened to you is not your fault."

"Really?" Melody asked.

"Really," The Doctor's voice came from the doorway. He came in and knelt in front of her. "Melody, you are brilliant, and special, and impossible. But in no way is what you are or how your parents are handling it your fault. They're human, Melody, purely human, and they're properly frightened. It happens."

"Alright." She agreed.

Rose looked to the Doctor, waiting for him to catch her eye. "You know what I think?" She said. "Think they need a trip. Been a bit since they came along."

"I think you're right." The Doctor said. "What do you say, Melody? Shall we pick up your parents instead? Travel about?"

* * *

 

"You will never believe who I just saw at the Canary Wharf memorial," Rory said as he came up to where they were all eating chips, the TARDIS across the block still grumbling about having landed here.

"Who?" Rose asked as she popped a chip in her mouth, enjoying the hit of vinegar.

"You." Rory replied with a laugh as he sat down on the opposite side of Melody, sandwiching her between he and Rose. "Must have been ages ago for you 'cause you referred to this one as your boyfriend. And you've been married, what now? Two hundred years?"

"Bout two twenty-nine." The Doctor replied, sipping a banana milkshake as he leaned back against Amy's arm. "Spent the two hundredth anniversary on Woman Wept. Picnic on the snow, watching the stars, spying on our younger selves when we first went."

"Wait." Rose said thoughtfully. "Said you saw me at the memorial?" She asked, and Rory nodded. "Only been once. It was ages ago now, like you said. I was running from …. Doctor, what year is this?"

"Two thousand eight, I believe." He replied.

"Alright, everyone, taking these to go." Rose said as she grabbed her container of chips and stood up.

"Why?" Amy asked. "What's so big about two thousand …." She stopped, eyes going wide.

"ATMOS!" The Doctor said with sudden recollection, apparently causing Rory to remember as well.

"What's that?" Melody asked.

"Something involving Strax's people, just move." The Doctor said as he got them inside the TARDIS with a snap of his fingers. Safe inside, he put them in the Vortex before they could choose their next destination.

"Wait, how does Melody know about Strax? What have you told her?" Amy asked after they settled.

Rose looked to the Doctor, his guilt as strong as hers.

"There are stories?" Melody asked, turning an accusing look on her guardians. "What are the stories? Do they involve Jenny and Vastra?"

"She knows Jenny and Vastra?" Rory asked, pointing at Melody but looking at the Doctor. "Where have you been taking her?"

"We're time travelers, Rory. We have lots of friends all over time and space, and we pay them a visit quite often. Jenny, our Jenny, has even tagged along here and there. Family outings, or whatever you humans call it." The Doctor replied.

"And Jenny's boyfriend." Melody added. "You forgot to mention Tim."

"Yes," The Doctor growled. "Him."

"Oh, there's a story there." Amy smirked,

"You remember how we had to explain to Melody what, umm …."

"Yes," Rory cut her off. "I remember my eight year old telling me she knew about the birds and the bees." He groaned.

"I'm twenty four!" Melody argued.

"You're eight to me," Rory retorted before turning to Rose. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"She walked into Jenny's room without knocking." Rose replied, feeling the rage bubble on the Doctor's side while she tried not to smile. "Was a bit of a compromising situation."

"Not that compromising, though. Just that there was some nakedness, mostly on Jenny's end, she saw no male anatomy. If she had, there'd have been no male anatomy left to look at." The Doctor was quick to reassure.

"Well, seems about right. Walking in on the sorta big sister with her boyfriend." Amy smiled, but it was pained. She glanced to Rory but he wouldn't look at her.

"Anyway," The Doctor said, clapping his hands and putting on a smile in hopes to change the mood. "How about a simple stop over to a later date? Who wants to see the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo?"

* * *

 

"Come on, Jenny, we have a family trip to attend to." The Doctor greeted their daughter after opening the doors to the TARDIS in her dorm room at school. They had slacked at picking her up when the Ponds first came aboard, having run into future versions of her making it hard to remember there were still younger years left to fill."

"Oh? Where's this one? Paris, the planet, not the city?" River asked, turning and looking at Rose and the Doctor intensely while Jenny gathered her stuff. "Or is this the amusement park planet?"

Rose studied the woman in the chair, then looked over her shoulder at Melody sitting on the jumpseat, her little legs swinging about. Their hair was done the same way: a puffy ponytail of curls near the top of their head. Melody smiled, blue eyes brightening, and Rose turned back to River to see the same smile and bright eyes in an older setting.

"Shoulda known." Rose smirked, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"Should've known what?" The Doctor looked at her confused.

"Should I tell him or do you want to?" Rose asked.

"Let him figure it out, Mum." River shrugged, adding a wink.

"Alright, ready to go!" Jenny said as she came toward them with her backpack. "Just the four of us?"

"Yes," The Doctor grumbled darkly. "Don't think we'll be bringing Timothy along on any trips anytime soon." His jaw jutted out, and the Oncoming Storm made a brief appearance before his gaze drifted to inside the TARDIS. His green eyes went wide, and he whirled around to look at River. "Oh!" He said, and she nodded. "You're?" He asked, and she nodded again. "Blimey, now I see it! She's the perfect blend of Amy and Rory!"

"Enjoy your trip, I know I did." She said before turning back to her school work.

Rose ushered her flabbergasted husband back inside and closed the doors.

"But Amy and Rory, they were so worried about not seeing her grow up. That means they have! They've seen her." He rambled, and Rose quickly looked about the console to make sure the girls weren't within hearing distance.

Jenny must have taken Melody with her deeper inside, because neither were in the room.

"We can't," Rose replied quickly. "River is mixed up in a lot of the most dangerous experiences with them, where _She_ , the woman who made her what she is, was involved. We can't, for their sanity and for Melody's protection, let it be known they are one in the same. If She is out there, and if She is waiting to for a sign or something or anything to get Melody back and try and turn her or use her against you, then we can't let Her know that she was and will likely be at her fingertips again. We don't know why or when Melody decided to go by River, but it might be important, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded. "So we pretend we don't know."

"We'll have to." Rose nodded.

He smiled, looking at her mischievously. "Know what that means?" He asked, and she shook her head. "Means we've raised one hell of a woman, Rose Tyler."

"Not all on us, you know." She reminded him, adjusting his bow tie. "And that reminds me. Maybe it should be the six of us?"

"The six of us. Brilliant." He agreed, and the two went about the controls, landing them in the Pond's back garden.

* * *

 

It continued, for years, for decades, at least for the Doctor and Rose. Months with Melody, then a drop off to her parents. Years more would pass, and they would come back for her. They attempted to save their most dangerous trips for when Melody was safe with her parents, but sometimes danger found them.

"Don't tell your parents." Became a frequent first phrase spoken upon returning to the TARDIS.

"It's starting to be harder not to say anything," Melody remarked as they returned from one of those many travels. She, Rose, and the Doctor took their places around the console, getting them off the alien planet in which Melody had been kidnapped and held for ransom because of her curls. "I don't say what we've properly been up to, sounds like we've spent the last few years sitting in the vortex."

"Well, best not to give your parents a heart attack, yeah?" Rose said as she worked the last of her controls. "Besides, 's why we gave you that journal, yeah? So when you're not so young in their eyes you can share with them all the tales you never told them."

"So when do you think that will be? When I'm sixty?" Melody asked.

"Well," the Doctor said, turning to their foster daughter. "They say you're, what? Eleven now? Yet your real age is twenty-nine. So about sixty would be good, though you might be able to get away with it as early as fifty." He said, turning to Rose. " _I think Puberty might be a doozy._ " He said privately before they landed.

"Well," Melody said with a sigh, walking down the ramp and picking up the bag the TARDIS placed by the door for her. "We should probably go see dear ol' Mummy and Daddy now, huh? Been a few months."

"To them you went on an overnight." The Doctor commented as he and Rose moved to join Melody.

Melody opened the door, the TARDIS humming a farewell for now. So in tune with the ship from being mostly raised on it, Melody smiled and rubbed the door frame before stepping outside.

"Hate to see her go." The Doctor said, taking Rose's hand.

"Me too," She readily admitted.

A beat later, Melody popped her head in, blue eyes wide and curls bouncing. "Mum, Dad," She said, "You might want to come out and have a look at … stuff."

"Oh, he didn't land on your Grandpa's car again, did he?" Rose asked with a groan before going to see what Melody was worried about.

"Oi! Happened once, and Brian should know by now that it's our spot." The Doctor called after them, catching up in a few quick steps.

Rose, however, hardly noticed him.

Because outside the Ponds' home, and all around the neighborhood for as far as Rose could see, were tiny cubes.


	33. The Year of the Slow Invasion pt 1

"This is magnificent." The Doctor said, turning about in a circle until he made himself dizzy. Pushing his hair from his face, he beamed with child like glee to Rose. "Little cubes!" He turned and darted toward the playground behind them.

"Mum," Melody whispered, tugging on Rose's jacket. She looked down, and followed Melody's gesture to her house.

She spotted Brian at the front door, then Amy and Rory popping their heads out their bedroom window.

"Were you expecting your Granddad?" Rose asked, glancing about and noticing that Brian's car was parked a couple houses over.

"I honestly don't remember." Melody admitted. "Been too long. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to have my hair longer or shorter."

Rose chuckled, noticing the Ponds having disappeared from the window. "'S why your mum takes pictures of you before you head off."

"Yeah," Melody nodded as the sound of the door opening across the road pulled their attention.

Amy and Rory were chatting with Brian, then seemed to spot them. Checking for traffic, despite what felt like an early hour of the day, the three of them crossed the road. Brian drifted to Melody, giving her a hug while Amy moved into the park.

"Doctor?" She called out to him.

He was up on a jungle gym, examining one of the cubes, surrounded by a bunch of others. He had taken a magnifying glass out of his jacket, trying to get a good look at what he had in his hands.

"It's the invasion of the very small cubes." He commented. "Alien, I think. I need to bring a few back inside the TARDIS to have a look." He hopped down, and Rose cringed as one foot landed on a cube and he stumbled. "Melody, can you help me gather a few?"

"Sure thing," She replied, adding the Gallifrayen word for father-figure. She and he went to work collecting them, and Rose grabbed what was now Melody's abandoned bag and headed toward the Pond house. She headed inside and up the stairs to Melody's room, leaving her bag on the bed. It was hard to tell what came first: her Earth room or her TARDIS room. They were exactly the same, with the same light blue walls and white furniture. Same white and blue bedding with the same collection of nicknacks and toys strewn over available surfaces. At least those weren't all placed exactly the same, making the two a bit more distinct. And the painting on the ceiling that Rose and Amy painstakingly did over a weekend oh so long ago wasn't quite the same as the projected view the TARDIS offered, but it was still lovely.

Rose left the room, down the stairs, taking a moment to look at the photos of the Ponds of the years. Of Melody growing up. Of the five of them together that Brian snapped last summer.

It had surprised both she and the Doctor to discover Brian knew the truth about Melody when Amy's Aunt Sharon did not.

"We trusted Dad to understand more," Rory had explained as Rose had helped him with the barbeque. "Didn't hurt that the Doctor materialized around him. He sort of excepts that we have a unique situation and a unique sort of help with it. He's just glad he gets to know her, to have a granddaughter."

Rose wondered if that's how Jackie would have felt about Jenny, and then Melody. The girls already acted like sisters when Jenny did come by their TARDIS, and she could almost hear her mother going on about how alien it all was but still spoil both girls as rotten as she could.

She refused to get heart heavy as she left the house and headed back to the TARDIS and headed inside.

"What we got?" She asked as she closed the doors and looked at the five of them around the console.

It made her smile, heart swelling at the sight her new, strangely put together family made.

"Well, we can tell you one thing: they're identical. Not a single molecule's difference between them." The Doctor said with a mix of frustration and fascination. "No blemishes, imperfections, individualities."

"How long did it take me to drop off a bag?" Rose asked with a grin.

"Two brilliant minds and the TARDIS, and you expect a dozen cubes to take awhile to look over?" The Doctor challenged with a grin.

"Yet ya still don't know what they are." She teased.

"What if they're bombs?" Brian asked thoughtfully. "Billions of tiny bombs? Or transport capsules, maybe, with a mini robot inside. Or deadly hard drives?"

"Does anyone not remember the Adipose? Their tiny, chubby selves and how harmless they were?" Rose asked.

"They were coming out of people who'd been taking the adipose pills." Rory noted. "Literally coming from their bodies, taking away from them. How is that harmless?"

"They couldn't control that. Infants, they were. Was the crazy nanny or whatever she was that was responsible." Rose countered.

"Might be messages needing decoding." Brian continued. "Or they're all part of a bigger whole, a jigsaw puzzle that needs fitting together."

"Very thorough, Brian. Very, very thorough. Well done. Watch these." The Doctor instructed as he headed toward the doors. "Yell if anything happens," He added before heading out the TARDIS.

Amy looked at Rose. "What exactly is he up to?" She asked.

Rose shrugged, rolled her eyes, moved to follow her husband.

"What are you up to?" She asked him as stood in the park, hands on his hips, and looked around. "You're lost, aren't ya? Not an idea what they are and it's driving you spare, ain't it?" She teased him.

"Completely and totally." He admitted, turning to look at her. His face was screwed up in confusion. "In all my years, not once, ever, have I seen anything like this. All over the Universe, I've been. I've seen Daleks and Demons, Cybermen and crazed overlords. Aliens made of fat, and giant bees, but these! These stump me."

"Was bound to be a first for something." She teased before noticing the insane number of black, unassuming vehicles coming down the street on both sides. Rose's smile fell. "That looks …."

"UNIT," The Doctor said, both mesmerized and surprised. "Shouldn't be too surprised, I suppose, alien invasion and all. Or possible invasion, as it were."

The vehicles stopped, and a mass wave of Soldiers stepped out, quickly surrounding the TARDIS. Parting through them was a middle-aged, posh looking woman with some sort of tech in her hand that made Rose uncomfortable. But if the Doctor said this was UNIT, then there wasn't anything to worry about. At least not yet. She kept back, but she was on edge and ready to jump at the sign of anything bad.

"I do apologize for the early morning greeting," The posh woman said as she parted the crowd. "Spike in artron energy reading at this address, and in light of the last 24 hours we had to check it out. Hello, Kate Stewart, head of Scientific research at UNIT. And with dress sense like that," She held up the tech in her hand, and it made a short noise that made Rose flinch toward her husband. "You must be the Doctor, I hoped it'd be you." She said, just as Rose came around to stand between them.

The woman's smile fell upon seeing her, shock taking over. "Rose Ty … no. No, you died at Canary Wharf."

"Have we met?" Rose asked, now finding her extremely familiar in a way Rose couldn't place.

"Yes. But, no, you wouldn't remember. It was … it was about fifteen years ago, but my god you look the same." She remarked.

"UNIT is still documenting my companions, then? And here I thought I had started being very careful." The Doctor remarked.

"Actually, you've made it easier since you now bring your companions back for a visit here and there. Not to mention the incident at 10 Downing. Memories of our interviews are usually erased …."

"Ha!" The Doctor exclaimed, smiling wide. "I knew it! Memory wipe. There was a moment when we went back to see your mother and I asked what you'd been up to, and you said you couldn't remember."

Rose frowned. "That was over two hundred years ago."

"Yes, well, that always bothered me, and I always had my suspicions. But now I've come to wonder, Kate, since when did science run the military? Because it certainly didn't fifteen years ago, or the soldiers that tried to shoot me in Downing street would've known not to."

"Since me," Kate smiled. "UNIT's been adapting. Well, I dragged them along, kicking and screaming."

"And what do we know about these cubes?" He asked, gesturing around them at the litter scattered about the playground equipment as well as the neighborhood.

"Far less than we need to." Kate said, and as she rambled on with the details, Rose suddenly recalled why Kate was familiar.

" _But you are," Kate said, her gaze narrowing on her in confusion. "Rose Marion Tyler, companion of the Doctor in his ninth and tenth incarnations, died at Canary Wharf at age twenty."_

" _I'm twenty-two, actually." Rose smirked, "And I didn't die, I just never had a reason to stay." She replied, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and noticing Sarah Jane watching the motion intensely. "And should we really be talking the Doctor's regenerations with just anyone in the room?" Rose asked Kate as she gestured to Jimmy standing a few feet away._

 _She looked at him coldly. "All soldiers of UNIT are briefed on the Doctor, even those who are soldiers because we're desperate._ "

The year that never was. That was why she seemed familiar. It had been so long ago in an abandoned time line that Rose forgot. Most everyone that she met along the way had forgotten her unless they happened to be on the Valiant.

"That's impressive. I don't want them to be impressive. I want them vulnerable with a nice Achilles' heel." The Doctor said motioning as if her was caressing a heel.

"We don't know how they got here, what they're made of, or why they're here." Kate said with exasperation.

"And all around the world, people are picking them up and taking them home." The Doctor said nervously.

Melody got their attention by addressing them as Mum and Dad in Gallifreyan, and Rose turned in time with the Doctor to see her stepping out of the TARDIS with her cell phone in hand. "They're all over social media. Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, YouTube."

"Twitter?" The Doctor asked disgustedly.

"Don't use Twitter." Melody replied with a shrug before handing the phone to Rose.

"Within three hours, the cubes had 1000 separate Twitter accounts." Kate mentioned, and the Doctor's lip curled in disgust. "I've recommended we treat this as a hostile incursion. Gather them all up and lock them in a secure facility, but that would take massive international agreement and cooperation."

"Which won't happen, 'cause every country's UNIT's gonna want to investigate, let alone other agencies." Rose noted as she handed her foster daughter back her phone.

"Exactly," Kate nodded once. "Some places, of course, totting that the cubes are nothing more than an odd fluke until we have evidence to the contrary."

"Hi," Amy said, stepping out the TARDIS in her dressing robe over her nightie. "Just a thought, here. Maybe part of the hostility is that they want to be seen?" She offered the suggestion with a shrug as Rory stepped out and Brian lingered in the doorway of the TARDIS.

Kate looked to Amy, then to Melody, then to Rory, her amusement growing more and more as she glanced at the TARDIS and then to the Doctor. "Thought you didn't do families?" She teased.

The Doctor straightened his bow tie. "Amy's right. They want to be seen, observed, even. So we should do that: observe them. Stay with them, round the clock. Watch the cubes, record absolutely everything about them."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Rose asked. "Live in the TARDIS? Get bored for one second, and you'll be taking us half way across the universe."

"Stay with us," Amy suggested with a shrug before coming to stand behind her daughter and setting her hands on her shoulders. "Got that spare room going unused, sure we could set something up for ya."

There was a pain in Amy's eyes, and Rory scratched at the back of his head, looking away. Rose remembered what Melody had mentioned once, ages ago, about them arguing over the possibility of more kids.

She cleared her throat. "Thanks, but it's alright. Can kip on the couch, and the Doctor doesn't sleep much. 'Sides, probably only be a day or two."

* * *

 

"It's been four days!" The Doctor grumbled as he flopped on the couch next to Melody, cube in his hand. She glared at him after nearly dropping her game controller, but he didn't notice. "Nothing! Not a single change in any cube anywhere in the world."

"You made me lose," Melody told him, addressing him in Gallifrayen.

"Oi, watch it!" Amy said from where she and Rose loaded the dishwasher. "No alien languages if it can't be translated." She then peered up at Rose and mouthed, "was it bad?"

Rose chuckled and shook her head.

"You know, Doctor, you're the one who wanted to observe them." Amy reminded him as they loaded the last plate and shut the dishwasher.

"Yes, well, I thought they'd do something, didn't I? Not just sit there while everyone eats endless cereal and plays video games." He said, looking at his foster daughter as she arched a brow at him. "Seriously, is this what you do all day when you're with your parents? You could observe stars, read up on quantum physics, enter trivia in the local pub."

"I'm a kid." Melody replied.

"You're thirty," The Doctor retorted.

"I look ten." Melody retorted. "And yes, when I'm on Earth I'm more … regular."

"Regular?"

Melody shrugged. "Normal. Try to blend in. So I play video games and eat sweet cereal."

"Are you really surprised by that, Doctor?" Rose asked her husband as she leaned on the counter and looked at him through the entryway to the living room. "She's got Earth friends in an Earth school. Not gonna indulge in the hobbies she has on the TARDIS. And it's history she likes, not physics." Rose corrected.

"Yes, well, I can't sit around all the time like these lot can. Only so much telly one can watch, or cleaning one can do. And they leave, Rose, they leave for their jobs and school." The Doctor rambled hands and arms flying in gestures that had Melody dodging out of the way.

"I don't go anywhere for my job, thanks." Amy retorted. "Journalism doesn't exactly require me to leave the house."

"Well, technically you do go places for your job, but we don't normally think of it as work." Rose reminded her with a wink.

"Well, Vegas was a bit of work." Amy said thoughtfully. "Convincing Rory that Melody probably saw worse than a couple topless women and flyers for … other kinds of women …."

"I have." Melody replied, having returned to her game

"Has she met Jack?" Amy asked quietly.

"No, we see him when she's here with you." Rose replied, waving it off. She didn't dare tell Amy what she already knew of Melody's future and how it involved the former Time Agent.

The Doctor bolted up from the couch and came up to the two women in the kitchen. "I'm bored." He said with a bit of a growl. "I hate being bored, I need to be busy."

"So go tinker on the TARDIS then." Rose replied. "And so help me if you take off …."

"Can't tinker, will leave, I know it. My legs, they're itching to run, Rose. Run fast, run far." He said with a bit of desperation.

"Your legs are staying on this Earth until we learn something about the cubes." She said firmly. "You built me a house once, planned on doing the domestic thing. Sure you could …." She stopped, an idea coming to mind. "Wait here, yeah?" She asked him.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously. "Where you off to that you don't want me coming with you?"

"An idea." Rose replied, getting on her toes to kiss her husband's cheek before heading out the front door. She crossed the road, heading to where the TARDIS remained parked in her usual spot. She was greeted with a happy hum as she snapped her fingers and strode inside. Rose paused to give the door frame a loving rub, then headed inside.

"Alright," She told the TARDIS as she rubbed the console. "Remembered seeing that 'For Sale' sign a little ways back. 'Bout a month back, their time, I think. So let's go to this date." She said as she inputted the date and time of her choosing. She flipped switches and turned knobs before sending herself and the TARDIS on their way.

Panic spiked over her bond, the Doctor clearly having heard the engines and sensed her growing distant.

" _It's alright._ " Rose told him. " _Won't be long."_

When the TARDIS landed, she stepped outside and walked over to the shop across the way. It only occurred to her as she stepped inside that the TARDIS changed the location on her, and she was in a shop near the Estates, her old home.

"Haven't seen you in here for a decade or so," The man behind the counter said as he gaped at Rose. Jim, she remembered.

"Yeah, just happen to be in the neighborhood." She said off handed, reaching for a print out of the winning lotto numbers. "See ya around, Jim." She said briskly, turning and colliding with someone just stepping in. "God, I'm so sorry."

"Well ain't you a sight." Shareen said, and Rose's heart leaped in her throat as she looked at her friend. Aged, of course, because it had been about fifteen years Earth time since she began traveling with the Doctor. Shareen looked Rose over, shock and disbelief all in one. "Finally come home from all your traveling?"

"No, I'm … I'm just stopping by." Rose stammered, suddenly thankful Rory and Amy were on the other side of town and far from where any of these mishaps could happen. A little boy stepped out from behind Shareen's legs. "This AJ?" Rose asked, smiling at Shareen.

"Yeah," Shareen said, rubbing the little guy's head affectionately. "Glad you finally got to meet him. What about your little girl? Said you had one now, where is she?"

"With her Dad." Rose replied, frantically searching her mind for any memory of the odd correspondence she sent one of her oldest friends. She couldn't remember a name being given, didn't even remember a description. So she took out her phone, went into the pictures, and found a photo of her, Jenny, Melody and the Doctor with a setting that looked like it could have been from Earth.

"Wow," Shareen said as Rose showed her the picture. "I know you said you became a mom ages ago, but she looks older than fifteen."

"She's one of those girls that looks a lot older than she is." Rose said, relieved that she told Shareen about Jenny so long before. "That's River," she said, pointing to Melody. "Sorta adopted her."

"This bloke ain't the same bloke from before, is it?" Shareen asked. "I thought he looked a bit different, skinnier.

"He put on weight." Rose said before tucking the phone back into her pocket. "Listen, I was only popping by for a minute. But it was great seeing you." She said, backing out the door before Shareen could ask anymore questions. She didn't even look back to make sure she wasn't seen going in to the TARDIS.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Rose asked, and the TARDIS hummed cautiously. "I'm aware what my plan could mean, but we're on the other side of town. 'Sides, she's one of the very, very few who knew me pre-Doctor that don't know the truth about me or my life. It'll be fine." She reassured the Time Ship. She set the coordinates to the day previously, studied the winning numbers on the print out, and then darted out and into the next shop. This one was proper, only a few blocks over from where Amy and Rory lived.

Rose filled out the slip of pre-selected numbers with her carefully memorized choices, paid ten quid for the ticket, then darted out again. She walked toward the Ponds' house, but instead of going there, she stopped to their neighbor two doors down. She slipped the ticket through the mail slot, then headed back to the TARDIS.

"Alright," She said as she entered the time ship. "Time to buy a house."

It was a couple hours before Rose returned to when she left the Doctor. Paper work and furniture buying, sneaking to their house to let the delivery men bringing their furniture and the decorator to do their job, it took about a day for her all said and done. She slept on the TARDIS before returning the TARDIS to _their_ back garden.

She headed down the street, entered the Pond residence, and took note of the time.

Ten minutes for them.

"Oi," The Doctor said, darting for the door before she had it shut. "What do you think you're doing going about in the TARDIS? I can't leave, but you can?"

"Hush up and come with me." Rose said, gesturing with her head to follow. Amy had appeared in the entryway from the kitchen, and with a glance at Melody, the two followed as well.

Rose walked them down to the house that now belonged, on paper, to John and Rose Smith.

"The old Slottman house?" Amy asked confused as they headed up the stairs. "They moved out a couple months back. Won the lottery, put their house up, was sold in two days."

"To us." Rose said, looking at the Doctor who frowned. "We're your neighbors."

Realization dawned on him. "No, Rose. No. You can't mean …."

"Can't stay in their home, you'll drive them spare." She countered.

"Carpets, drapery." The Doctor cringed.

"Right, cause the TARDIS never had carpet ever. And a curtain's not gonna kill ya." She said. "Besides, we don't know how long we'll need to be here for. Somethin' tells me that cubes that fall from the sky aren't gonna suddenly start showing their intent. You need to be busy? Place is full of things you can break apart and put back together. And you'll need to mow 'bout once a week. Oh, and the fence could use a paint."

The Doctor stared at her slack jawed, then stared at the house. "It's so … domestic."

"You were gonna do domestic once." Rose reminded him. "So let's give it another go, Doctor."

He grumbled, then headed inside.

"You're our neighbors?" Amy said as she looked at the house in wonder. "Actually living next to us."

"Until we can find out about those cubes? Yeah?" Rose said, gesturing for she and Melody to follow inside.

They did a small tour of the house, show room ready thanks to the designer. It didn't take long, the layout being identical to the one Amy and Rory had, and then they followed the Doctor out to the back garden. He stood by the TARDIS, looking at her with a scowl, at the flower bed around three of her sides.

"She likes this." He said like he was betrayed. "She's got shade from the trees, and feels you made her parking spot right pretty with the flowers. She's … happy with the domestics."

"It won't kill ya, Doctor." Rose said, kissing him quickly on the lips. "I already let Jenny know where we are, that we don't know how long we'll be here."

"Right, of course you did, because you like making it so we can't leave." He said low, the sound of a patio door opening.

"Well, hi!" An overly cheerful voice called, and Rose looked to the Doctor who cocked an eyebrow. A moment later, a large, round head with a smiling face and big hair popped over the fence.

"Hello, Missus Freeman." Amy said with a wave.

"Oh, Amy!" Missus Freeman said, smiling changing to surprise for only a moment. "How do you know our new neighbors?"

"Hello," The Doctor said, stepping up to the fence and looking up at Freeman with a smile. "I'm John Smith, Doctor John Smith, this is my wife Rose. We're Melody's …."

"God parents." Amy supplied quickly.

"Yes, God parents." The Doctor said, wringing his hands a bit.

" _We're her guardians in case something happens to Amy and Rory._ " Rose supplied through the bond.

" _Yes, of course, I knew that. Of course I knew that._ " He said rather unconvincingly.

"Oh how nice." Freeman said with a too large grin. "Well, welcome to the neighborhood. So nice to see some new faces. I look forward to getting to know you." She said before disappearing behind the fence.

The Doctor looked to Rose. " _Domestic_ ," He scowled.

" _Get used to it._ " Rose smirked. " _You want to watch the cubes, keep an eye on 'em, best way to do it._ "

He grumbled, lip still curling while he nodded his reluctant agreement. He headed back inside the house, and Rose looked to Amy.

"So? See ya Sunday for tea?" She asked.

"Looks like." Rose replied with a grin. "Bring Rory by when he gets back from his shift. Sure he'd love to see this."

"The Doctor forced to live like us mere mortals?" Amy smiled mischievously. "Even for a day it would be a riot."

* * *

 

Three months and six days had passed, and nothing happened with the cubes.

Even Rose was getting a bit restless, having not really thought through what she would do while they were stuck on Earth, so she did what she hadn't done in nearly two centuries: she got a job.

"We worked together before, you and I." Rose said to Kate as she and the head of the Science division of UNIT headed to the cube room. "In another reality. One in which Harold Saxon was prime minister. Well, prime minister for more than a couple days."

"Yes," Kate said, grumbling a bit. "I remember it was hell trying to reason with the American government. Took them quite a bit to convince them that Saxon wanted to cause waves before committing suicide himself. Of course, it couldn't be known it was his wife that killed him. Confused too many people. Funny how he never regenerated."

"He chose not to." Rose replied, wondering briefly how this Kate knew the truth about Saxon. "But then he was resurrected by some insane fans."

"Yes," Kate said, "Wish we had had more information on that, but to this day Naismith and his daughter won't talk about it."

Kate and Rose flashed their ID badges and entered the room. "Any changes?" Kate asked.

"No ma'ams." A young girl with dark hair slicked back into a pony tail, and thick rimmed glasses said as she glanced away from the cubes. She wore the standard white lab coat, but Rose couldn't help but note the blue women's suit with a maroon tie over the white blouse. On her feet were red converse. "No change. Nothing to report from your civilian analyst as well."

"Ingrid Osgood, Rose Tyler." Kate introduced. "Expert in alien technology, and the Doctor's long time companion."

"I'm his wife, actually." Rose said a bit more harshly than intended, looking to Kate as if she should have known that. The shock reminded her quickly that she did not, didn't even know of the romantic connection, because all that information was from another time.

Those in the room who were busy running tests before all suddenly stared at them, and Rose glanced around before her eyes fell to Ingrid Osgood.

"The … the … the Doctor's … wife?" She said, hands fumbling in her pockets.

"Yeah, best not flash that one around too much." She said slowly. "Sorta forgot you lot didn't know that bit."

Osgood pulled an inhaler from her pocket and took a deep breath with it.

"Right," Kate said, blinking rapidly and shaking her head. "Dad would've loved to hear that."

"Dad?" Rose questioned.

"An old friend of the Doctor's." Kate said, and it clicked for Rose.

"Wish I had met him." Rose said kindly with a gentle smile. "Alistair, yeah? The Doctor speaks fondly of him when he speaks of his past at all."

Kate smiled sadly, nodded once and cleared her throat. "So, nothing on the cubes, then, Osgood?"

"Not a thing." She replied.

"Alright." Kate said before turning to Rose. "We discovered a bunker in the United States about eight years ago. Supposedly it was meant to be filled with cement, but it ran so far below ground it was only the first few levels that were filled. Our scanners picked up a mass amount of alien tech there, and we only just managed to get into it. Mind having a look?"

"States, you say?" Rose asked. "Wouldn't have been Utah, by chance?"

* * *

 

"Must be weird," Amy commented as she and Rose sat in lawn chairs in the Ponds' back garden, sipping tea as the last whisps of summer lingered into late October. "Being near Melody nearly every day and not being the one looking after her."

Rose watched the girl in question as she kicked a football around her with her Dads, proper acting as defense while foster acted as keeper between two piles of cubes.

"Bit, I guess." Rose admitted. "But then again, 's been weird having a job again. Proper house with the Doctor. Gone through twelve toasters, four toaster ovens, three coffee makers, ten coffee grinders, and one bread maker, but he's been content at least."

Amy chuckled. "The Doctor settled all proper like."

"Never thought I'd see the day." Rose replied with a sad smile. "Know Mum would be thrilled. Though she'd say I was putting on airs and graces being this far away from the Estate. And working for UNIT, even if it's only temporary."

"You didn't tell the Doctor about Osgood, did you?" Amy asked quietly, leaning in so she wouldn't have to let her voice carry one little bit.

"Wouldn't dare," Rose replied seriously. "Him having a fan that _dresses_ like does? You know she copies all of his incarnations? Not just the one I told you about, but each one. Came into work yesterday with a leather jacket and purple jumper. Told her she needed a hair cut to properly pull that one off. She blushed." Rose chuckled. "Then had to use her inhaler."

"Think she's envious of you?" Amy asked.

Rose shook her head. "No. Hero worship is all that is."

Melody cried out in victory, drawing the attention of her Moms. Rose noted the Doctor on his back, arms and legs spread out, while Melody's arms were in the air and a giant grin spread across her face. Rory was laughing proudly, offering his hand for her to give a high five to.

"She looks like Rory's Mum." Amy said. "At least that's what we're saying. She's familiar in a really creepy way we can't put our finger on, but we know she got the curls from her, so that's what we're going with."

Rose swallowed, looking down into her tea and nodding. She bit her tongue, literally, to keep herself from saying anything.

* * *

 

"Does it have to be inside the TARDIS?" Rory asked as they moved out the back door and into the garden where the happy little Time Ship was decked out in lights much to her delight. The house had been too, though Rose shuddered when she looked up at them. The Doctor nearly fell from the ladder multiple times when putting them up, scaring her each time and having her worried he'd fall and regenerate.

"It's not tradition if it's anywhere but." The Doctor countered as they tracked over the newly fallen snow.

"Not our tradition," Amy replied, pulling her hands up in her sleeves to keep the chill at bay.

"No," The Doctor said as he snapped his fingers. "But we have done yours, with the dinner, and the songs, and the endless animated fanfare. Now, Ponds, you do ours."

They all stepped inside.

"Oh come on, Dad." Jenny teased as she and Melody walked in the console room just behind him. "It wasn't that bad. You loved the one with the pink cat and the green thing."

"Supposed to be a bunny." Melody commented.

"Hard to go wrong with a time travel concept, even if it was terribly wrong." He said as he made his way up to the console and pushed a few buttons.

Rose closed the door, being the last one coming inside, and leaned against it.

"Wait, is Santa Claus a Time Lord?" Amy asked.

The Doctor paused in his actions and gaped at Amy. "Santa Claus isn't real, Pond."

"I'm aware, Doctor." She said, glare daggers before gesturing to Melody with her head.

"Mum, you do know I know Santa isn't real?" Melody asked as she plopped on her favorite jumpseat. "Hard not to figure that bit out when you travel through time and space."

"Right." Amy said. "Another facet of your childhood ruined." She crossed her arms and looked away, though it was hard not to see the disappointment.

"Hey," Rory said, coming up beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's Christmas. So what if Melody doesn't believe."

"Right you are, Rory." The Doctor said, resuming his task at the console. "It is Christmas, we have our families together, and what better way to celebrate," He paused as the first refrains of _Rocking around the Christmas tree_ began to play. "Than by dancing and some crackers, huh?"

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a few, tossing two to Rory and Amy who caught them. They exchanged dubious, amused looked.

"So dancing and Christmas crackers." Amy said as she shifted toward her daughter while Rory pulled the top of his cracker open. "Anything else you three have as a tradition?"

"Egg nog," Jenny answered for her parents. "Rum free, though Uncle Jack has been known to sneak in some hyper vodka when he comes around."

"When can I meet Uncle Jack?" Melody asked curiously.

"Not until you are much, much older." Rose replied firmly, resisting the urge to shutter at what a meeting when Melody was a teenager could mean.

"Umm," Rory said, pulling out set of keys from his cracker. "What's this?"

"Those, Rory, are car keys," The Doctor replied. "And now that you have them in hand, I can remove the perception filter to the car that's been sitting outside your house all day. Your favorite car, now that Melody's older and doesn't need to be so strapped down."

"Car?" Rory asked. "You wrapped up a package of custard creams and put it under the tree, yet you put the keys to a car inside of a Christmas cracker."

"Well, I like our tradition more than yours." The Doctor said with a shrug.

Melody broke hers open, reached in with her fingers, and proceeded to pull out the netting for a proper goal post, proceeded by the thin posts themselves for assembly. "Brilliant!" She exclaimed with eyes alight.

"How did you?" Rory asked as he and Amy stared at the cracker wide eyed.

"Time Lord technology, bigger on the inside. Which reminds me, Amy, best you open yours near the floor. Yours is a bit … breakable."

* * *

 

"Happy Anniversary!" Everyone in the house cheered, glasses clinking in the space above their heads as they toasted the Doctor and Rose.

"What exactly does one get one's spouse for a two hundred and fiftieth anniversary?" Rory asked before he sipped the champagne Jack brought and insisted everyone have a glass of.

"Never made it past twenty myself." Jack said. "Married, that is. Marriage for me always seems to ruin a good thing."

Ianto rolled his eyes but said nothing.

It was the only time they allowed themselves to interact with Jack so far back in their time line, since there was already a version of him not far from London. And, Rose had to admit, it was good to see Ianto again after he'd been gone for so long by her standards.

"Well fiftieth is gold." Sarah Jane said thoughtfully. "Do you just go through the rotation? Start all over again when you hit a hundred?"

"But that poses the question of what you get someone when you've been married for a hundred years." Mickey noted.

"Yeah, think sixty is as far as tradition goes." Martha nodded in agreement.

"What do Time Lords do?" Amy asked, sitting in nearby chair, champagne remaining unsipped as she set it down.

Rose had noticed but said nothing, especially with the quiet way Rory was constantly checking on her.

"Time Lords thought themselves above love and relationships." The Doctor replied with down cast eyes. "We had marriages of politics and complimentary genetics."

"Romantic." Donna snorted, setting her champagne flute down on a table and bumping one of the cubes in a bowl. It tumbled to the ground, but she was oblivious to it.

"Yes, well, was always a bit of rebel." He said, putting on a fake smile.

"So where's your daughter?" Sarah Jane asked Amy and Rory. "Thought she'd be here."

"School night," Rory replied. "My Dad's watching her. Not that she needs it, really, since she's about our age in reality." He paused thoughtfully. "Or is she older than us?"

"No, she's, uh, she's your age." The Doctor said, staring at the drink which remained untouched in his hand.

The room fell quiet, and awkwardness descending upon it while Donna rubbed at her temples a moment. Rose noted, glanced at the Doctor.

He watched her a moment, fiddled with the Donna-tuned perception filter on his wrist. A couple moments later the pain seemed to ease.

" _Bloody alcohol in her system affecting her brain chemistry._ " He cursed.

"You know," Tim said, eyeing a nearby cube suspiciously. "The last time the whole bunch of us were together like this, Dalek's invaded."

"They aren't Dalek tech." Jenny rolled her eyes. "Are they, Dad?" She asked nervously.

"No!" He replied immediately. "No, no of course not." He then looked to Tim, eyes both dark and nervous.

Rose could feel his indecision on how to take this version of their dear friend. While the Jenny that arrived with him had a TARDIS, full grown and usable, the Tim that came with her didn't seem overly friendly with her. There was a scar on his temple, Rose could see, but neither she or the Doctor knew for sure when the relationship between their daughter and former companion started. They would guess it had, what with Tim being nearly thirty now if he hadn't been plucked from his time line so often, but in light of the celebration, Rose made her husband promise to behave regardless.

"Something you're not telling us?" Rose asked Tim.

"Nah," he said, picking up a cube and tossing it once. "Don't see a thing when it comes to these suckers."

"You know what I'd like to know?" Donna asked, her evil grin breaking any tension that might have been in the room and instantly returning the party to its intended feel. "How Rose has managed to stay married to Space Man for over two centuries and not be half mad."

"It's his ass." Jack said instantly. "Stayed perfect over three regenerations."

"Certainly doesn't hurt." Rose quipped.

* * *

 

It was a week after the Doctor and Rose's anniversary party that Amy found herself on the bathroom floor crying. A week ago she was happy, thrilled beyond belief, at the circumstances of her life. She had her daughter with her all the time, knowing full well that if Melody went away for an hour or so months or years wouldn't have passed for her. Her career had picked up considerably despite not having been anywhere outside the city for the last nine months other than a few weekend trips to Scotland or Cardiff. And a week ago, she was just about at the end of her first trimester.

Now she was sitting on the floor of her bathroom hours after discovering her panties were soaked with blood. She'd collapsed and hadn't moved since, even though her skirt was probably ruined and her legs felt sticky.

"Amy!" She heard the Doctor call from down stairs. "Ran out of flour. Was trying to back banana bread, and I may have had a bit of a fumble with it." She could hear him moving around down stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing up to her long before they made their way to the stairs. "Amy? I know you're home. Your car's in the driveway. Amy!"

She caught a glimpse of him catching a glimpse of her through the gap in the mostly closed bathroom door.

His concern made her heart wrench more, and he slowly pushed open the door while holding her eye. It wasn't until he stepped in that he looked down.

"Oh, Amy." He said sympathetically, kneeling down beside her. "Rose was suspicious, but she asked me not to say anything."

"This is the third." She choked out. "After Demon's Run, whatever She did …. But this was the longest I stayed pregnant. Before it was a week, maybe two. Just long enough that Rory and I chalked it up to me being late."

He squeezed her arm. "Would you like me to run some tests?" He asked her, moving his hand to her cheek.

She shook her head. "Scar tissue." She said with a shrug. "Doctors have had a look and my uterus is full of scar tissue. I had to say I was in a car accident when I was pregnant and traveling."

"Scar tissue?" He asked, his voice carrying a light, warm humor and his eyes betraying relief. "Amelia Pond, why didn't you tell us? Scar tissue is an easy fix for me."

"Doesn't bring back what I've just lost." She sniffed.

"No, no it doesn't. It's heartbreaking, and terrible, and I would never wish this sort of pain on anyone, but I want you to know there is hope, Amy."

She looked at him through watery eyes and nodded. "Sorry you had to see this." She said.

"I'm sorry I intruded." He apologized. "I'll leave you to your privacy." He gave her a gentle kiss on the head before getting up and heading out, moving to close the bathroom door behind him.

"Doctor." Amy caught his attention. "I don't have flour, either. It's on the list."

* * *

 

Amy waited a couple more weeks before taking the Doctor up on his offer, waiting to feel physically and (as best she could) emotionally better from the loss of her pregnancy. Telling Rory had been heartbreaking all over again, though in an odd way his concern about the Doctor walking in on her in the bathroom helped to keep her from drowning in the pain too much.

Rose had brought over meals over that time as well, and had Melody over to their home much more than before. If there was ever a time for them to have been so close by all the time, Amy could appreciate it was now.

"I'm surprised you and Rose haven't wandered off yet." Amy confessed as she lay in what reminded her of a tanning bed in the TARDIS medbay.

"Truth be told, Pond, we have left the odd time. Traveled for a couple months here and there, usually on the weekends you lot slip off for a couple days. Then Rose reminds me of the cubes and we come back. But those flash trips, those help more than you know."

"So it's not all domestic bliss, then?" She teased as she felt the warmth of the healing rays penetrate her skin. It was like having a heating pad easing her worst menstrual cramps.

"Well, no, suppose not. But only if you imply domestic as living in the four-walled prison. Had enough of being marooned in my third life, and didn't quite enjoy the time we were forced to stay in 1969. But all that aside, I will never properly admit it to Rose it hasn't been all bad. Though I do wish Missus Freeman would stop asking when we're having children of our own. Bad enough we have to say Jenny is Rose's sister whenever she pops by."

Amy snickered at that, then a thought crossed her mind. "Have you and Rose ever considered this? Healing her so you could?"

"Doesn't work like that," The Doctor replied. "The function has ceased for her all together. Besides, different species. Would have been tricky if she could, may never have happened anyway."

Amy nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"Ah, there we go, all set!" He said, and the heat stopped just before the lid popped open. He smiled down at her smugly. "Next time you feel you need a doctor, you should come to _the_ Doctor," He said, reaching in his pocket and producing a lollipop.

"What am I, twelve?" She snorted as she took it.

"Oi." He said with a frown, making her laugh. "Melody should be coming home from school soon." He noted.

"Right." She said, hopping off the thing and straightening her shirt. She shifted about. "Sure it will work? I … I didn't tell Rory, didn't want to give him hope."

"You're all healed." He assured with a nod.

"Thank you," She said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging out the medbay and then the TARDIS. A glance at her watch before exiting the console room told her Melody was likely already home, and she had a pang of guilt for waiting until so late in the day to see the Doctor as it was.

"Rose is a nice girl." Missus Freeman said, startling Amy to a halt. Her big, round head peered over the edge of the fence, the judgement in her eyes almost comical. "To see you and John carrying on the way you two do. I've been watching, you know. The visits to each other's houses after Rose leaves for work, when Rory goes on shift. The way you two seem so close. And now? Leaving his shed? I know he's in there still, saw him go in an hour ago."

Amy gaped at her in shock, then grinned. "Well, did try to shag him the night before my wedding." She said as she approached the fence. She took hold of the top, got on her tip toes, and did her best to get in Missus Freeman's face. "My daughter even calls him Dad. Let's it slip here and there. Wonder what that could mean, huh?" As Freeman's face became more scandalized, Amy glared. "Not sleeping with him, you twat. Keep your nose out our business, would ya?" She then moved away from the fence and headed for the house, she ran through it and out the front door then up to her own home.

When Amy got in, Melody wasn't in her usual spot on the couch. "Mels?" She called up.

"Up here." She replied.

Amy went up stairs, checked in her room, and found Melody sitting on her bed with something in her hand looking utterly confused. "What is is, Sweetheart?" Amy asked, trying to put on a smile but found herself feeling oddly uncomfortable.

"We have to do a project on our lives." Melody said, a tinge of annoyance for the task at hand nearly drowned by confusion. "So I dug out that box you keep all the momentos of my life on Earth in, trying to find something. This was in it." She said, holding up the prayer leaf from her birth.

"A brave woman made that for you. Was said that if I kept it close you would always come home. Like to think it works since you always come back to us." Amy explained with a gentle smile.

"What's the saying mean?" She asked, looking up in confusion.

Amy frowned. "It's your name." She gestured to it.

"No it's not." Melody said, handing the prayer leaf to her.

Amy chuckled nervously. "Well, it's your name in the language of her people, but it's still…." She paused, looking down at the embroidered cloth for the first time in over a decade, and her heart stopped.

She never really bothered to try and read it after the initial glance. She didn't understand why it didn't translate when it wasn't Gallifreyan and the Doctor insisted that the written word of nearly all other languages in the Universe would be. But now as she looked at it, it was clear as day.

And it did not say Melody Pond.

It said River Song.

"Oh," Amy said, eyes lifting to meet the blue eyes of her daughter and suddenly seeing her with the clarity she'd been lacking. "Oh," She said again, smiling as her heart felt lighter, realizing that her worst fears had never been valid.

"What? What is it?" Melody asked.

"It is your name, Melody." She said with tears in her eyes. "You just haven't grown into yet."

Melody shook her head in confusion. Then her eyes went wide. Amy looked to where she was staring, and noted the cube glowing blue. "Oh." She said. "Here we go."


	34. The Year of the Slow Invasion pt 2

Amy walked over to the cube, made to pick it up, and pulled her hands back with a hiss. On her palm were two, neat rows of pinpricks.

The cube had tiny little needles at the top, mirroring the mark on Amy's hand. The cube stopped glowing entirely, instead showing an image of a heart and what was clearly her pulse.

"Melody, don't touch the cubes." She said instinctively.

"Kinda guessed that, Mum." She said, and Amy could hear her scramble off the bed.

"Amy, Melody!" Rory called from down below. "Dad called, said the cubes are doing stuff? Amy?"

"Melody's room." She called out. "Cube just took my pulse!"

Rory came into the room, his cell still in hand as well as the bag of groceries he'd stepped out to grab. He gaped at the cube. "One down stairs by the door way opened, but I don't think it was doing much else. "Dad said one of the ones in his car rattled on the drive over. He was about to meet up with the Doctor."

"Why?" Amy asked, and then decided she didn't want to know. "Never mind. So, the cubes are moving? And taking pulses?"

Before Rory could answer, Melody said something in the weird, chiming language Amy often heard her mumble in. "The cubes. You know? What do you mean you know?" Amy turned in time to see her daughter's eyes going wide as she spoke on the phone. "Oh. Okay."

"Who are you talking to? The Doctor?" Amy asked.

Melody arched a brow. "Rose has the phone, not him." She reminded. "Which is funny when you think about the fact he goes through time and space in a police call box."

"Kids?" Brian's voice called up the stairs before Amy could ask Melody to hand over the phone. She followed Rory down stairs, seeing her father-in-laws bewildered face. "It rattled!" He said as the cube on the table by the door opened and closed. "Ha, ha! Look at that." He said gleefully, pointing at the cube as Rory's phone rang. He answered it, stepping into the living room as Melody came down the stairs.

"Rose and the Doctor are going to UNIT." She said.

"Should we go with them?" She asked, hoping it was a hint.

"The Doctor would prefer if I didn't go anywhere near UNIT." Melody replied. "Doesn't want me cataloged, because I'm special."

"Cataloged, what's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked, folding her arms.

"Nothing." Melody shook her head as Rory entered the entry way.

"I have to go. Work called, they're being swamped with patients attacked by the cubes." He said. "They need all the help the can get. I got scrubs in the car, I'll just change while I'm there."

"Well now I feel useless." Amy said, exasperated.

"Go with Rory." Brian insisted. "You two traveling here and there with the Doctor, probably have some way you can help. Volunteer. He did say they needed all the help they could get."

Amy looked to her husband, calm in features but pleading with her eyes.

She didn't want to admit that a year ago she had hoped the cubes meant adventure. Motherhood was brilliant, and having a normal life was nice between the exotic vacations to different times and places, but she missed the thrill of running. Of chasing. Of doing more than writing. It was no wonder Tim ran off with Jenny whenever he could.

Rory knew this, and while he did seem apprehensive, he relented. Turning to Melody, he said, "Be good for Granddad. Don't try and do anything the Doctor or Rose would do, stay away from the cubes as much as you can. Better yet, go next door and wait for the all clear in the TARDIS."

"Dad," Melody groaned.

"Listen to your father." Amy said as she plucked up her jacket. She gave Melody a kiss on the temple, then followed Rory out the door. "Probably not the best time to tell you this, what with there being an invasion and all. But that prayer leaf I was given on Demon's Run, the one with Melody's name on it? Translated today. Safe to say she won't listen to a word you say." Amy said as she got into the car.

"Why's that?" Rory asked as he backed out of the drive.

Amy waited until he was on the road, thankful there were no cars. "Because her name in the language of the Gamma people is apparently River Song."

Rory slammed his foot down on the breaks and turned to look at Amy. He seemed to be waiting for the punchline, though she simply waited him out until he realized one wasn't coming.

"Melody, our Melody is _River_. No, that can't be right."

"Well, it's what the writing on the leaf translated to." She reasoned.

Rory looked like he considered something, a crease between his eyes forming. "When I went to get her … I could have sworn I heard you laughing. And the look on River's face … it was like she was expecting me, but not? Maybe it is her."

"Where did you pick her up?" Amy asked curiously.

Rory shook his head. "Been years, and I'm not even sure I knew at the time. Some posh hotel? A party, likely." He shrugged, then continued driving.

"Well, whether you wanna believe it or not, I'm choosing to. If it means I have seen her all grown up on the off chance that we don't see her through her teens, I'm in. And you can't deny the resemblance."

Rory didn't say anything, didn't look like he wanted to, really. He stayed quiet on the way to the hospital, and despite wanting to discuss it, Amy let him.

* * *

 

Rose had been relaxing in the tub, having decided not to bother heading in to UNIT when Kate said there was nothing to report. And knowing that Amy had intentions of swinging by for the Doctor to heal whatever was keeping her from staying pregnant, Rose took the opportunity not only to give them space and semblance of privacy, but to pamper herself a bit. With the bathroom window open, and not a sound in the house, she could hear the moment Amy left the TARDIS, as well as the conversation between she and the busy-body next door.

Honestly, the woman could be bloody insensitive. It crossed Rose's mind multiple times to tell her the truth instead of "we're just not ready," but she wasn't sure she could handle the put on sympathy. And while a hundred years ago she may have had the same worries the Freeman woman had over Amy and the Doctor, it was so implausible at this point it was rather amusing. For a woman who spied on her neighbors nearly constantly, she seemed to have overlooked how much Amy and the Doctor acted like brother and sister.

" _Seems our neighbor is writing soaps in her head. What are you and Amy getting up to in the TARDIS, there, Doctor?"_ She teased through their bond.

" _Playing Doctor_ ," He teased back, and she felt his love and humor coming through as the door to the TARDIS could be heard through the open window. " _Where are you hiding?_ "

" _Upstairs._ " She said as she pulled the stopper and climbed out. " _Just need to dry off and I'll come down to meet you."_ She said, hearing the kitchen door open downstairs.

"Need any help?" He called up to her, a grin in his voice. "Make sure you didn't miss any bubbles?"

She rolled her eyes and hung up her towel, putting on her robe and leaving the bathroom.

"Think I got it all, thanks." She called over the banister before popping into the bedroom a moment to grab her hair brush. She pulled it through her hair, getting the knots out as she headed for the stairs.

"Whatever you are, this planet, these people, are precious to me. And I will defend them to my last breath." She heard him say in the tone of the Oncoming Storm. Confused, she inquired what he was up to with a mental tap, and he showed her the image of the floating cube. "Is that all you do? Hover?" He continued as she brushed faster, quickening her steps to the to the living room where she knew he was. "I had a metal dog who could do that. Oh," He said, sounding a bit more panicked just as Rose got to the bottom of the steps. She turned, using the banister rail for momentum, and stilled for a second as she could see the cube was armed. She dove for her husband, getting him out of the way just before the cube attempted to shoot him. The blast broke something as she landed on the Doctor behind the sofa.

"Oh, this is nice." He said with a stupid grin, and Rose glanced down to see her robe had fallen open. She looked at him with a glare, ready to lecture when she sensed the cube. Looking under the sofa, she saw it glowing.

"Move!" She yelled, rolling off of the Doctor to put herself between him and the firing cube. He moved into the kitchen and she pushed herself up on her hand and feet, just missing getting shot. There was now a hole in her robe, making it useless even closed, but it didn't matter much. Bolting to join the Doctor, she peered around the corner with him to see the cube move toward the open laptop computer. It turned it on, a series of things flashing over the screen.

"Oh, it really has woken up," The Doctor said in awe.

"The Ponds? Amy, Melody?" As if to answer her concern, her cell phone rang on the island in the kitchen. Rose plucked it up and answered.

"Melody?" Rose asked.

She was greeted with her Gallifreyan parental name. "The cubes." Melody said simply.

"Yeah, I know." She said, and the cube turned abruptly to fire at them. Rose shoved the Doctor back first before wiping around and putting her back flat against the kitchen wall. She watched the laser hit the toaster, and didn't feel an ounce of regret over the loss of it. Probably wasn't working anyway.

"You know? What do you mean you know?" Melody demanded.

"We're being shot at by one." Rose replied.

"Oh. Okay."

"Listen, Sweetheart, stay with Mum and Dad. You'll all be safer that way, and listen …." Rose said just as another call came through. "Hold on, this is important. Do not hang up," Without hesitation, Rose switched calls. "Kate?"

"We'll need you and the Doctor at the tower of London, ASAP." She said with a faint hint of fluster. "It's the cubes."

"Be right there." Rose replied, switching back to Melody. "Sweeheart, Doctor and I are heading to UNIT."

"Can I come?" Melody asked just as Rose realized the cube stopped firing. She leaned around the corner, seeing the cube had settled back on the coffee table.

The Doctor plucked up the phone from Rose's hand. "Melody? No, no you can't come with us. Why? Because UNIT will want to add you to the collection of companions, and I would rather that they not know exactly what you are to us. Just stay there, we'll get this sorted." He hung up. "To UNIT then?" He asked eagerly.

"Tower of London, actually." Rose replied.

"Might want to change, first." The Doctor reminded her, and she looked down at her singed, useless robe. "Don't mind this myself, but I don't want others having a gander."

"Right, hopefully there aren't anymore cubes around the house I didn't know about." Rose mused before darting up stairs and getting dressed.

* * *

 

They arrived at the tower of London, Rose flashing her ID badge while the Doctor flashed his psychic paper. The eyes of the soldier widen. "Right this way ma'am, sir." He waved them through, and Rose drove through the gate and parked next to what she came to know as Kate's car.

She and the Doctor climbed out together, heading toward the door at the base of the tower where a silhouette waited to greet them.

"Half expected you to be Osgood." Rose greeted Kate.

Kate smiled, "Sure if she wasn't in Scotland checking out some other strange phenomenon, she'd have been here eagerly with inhaler in hand." Kate waved them inside, and the followed through the tunnels to the big, heavy, vault looking door.

There was no preamble with the older guard who held the second key to the door. Normally there was a small chat, usually something nearly the same as every other day as his memory was always wiped at the end of his shift. It often made Rose wonder what he would tell his wife at the end of the day, having either always had the same first day, or nothing ever happening at work.

"Every cube across the whole world activated at the same moment." She told them once they were inside.

"Now we're in business." The Doctor said gleefully, rubbing his hands together as they entered the cube room.

"There are fifty being monitored, and more coming in all the time." Kate continued, gesturing at the various enclosures around the room. The cubes inside the blinked, shot fire, mimiced the look of rubix cubes. Some were in a room with UNIT science officers, a glimpse inside one window revealing the officer going from laughing to sobbing. "Every cube is behaving individually. There's no meaningful pattern, some respond to proximity, some create mood swings."

"Why's this one in the hold on its own?" Rose asked, stopping beside the view window and pointing in.

Kate looked at it with something close to disgust. "Try the door." She suggested.

Rose opened it, and was instantly hit with the loudly played "chicken dance". She grimaced, face screwing up in disgust.

" _Why is not surprising that something that makes me want to regenerate was written by a man from a town that is almost called Davos? It's only missing the 'r'."_ He grumbled in their minds as he put his fingers in his ears.

"On a loop!" Kate said, and Rose slammed the door shut.

"I'm good, thanks." She said, straightening her shirt.

"This is the latest." Kate said, waving them over to the computer banks on the far side of the room. World maps, mostly, but a few listings of some things that cubes were doing.

"What's all the highlights?" Rose asked, pointing to the world map on the bottom row.

The Doctor started typing. "System breaches. The Pentagon, China, every African nation, the Middle East."

"I've got governments screaming for explanations, and no idea what to tell them." Kate said, level headed for the most part, but with a hint of frustration. "I'm lost, Doctor. We all are."

"Don't despair, Kate. Your dad never did." The Doctor replied as he continued to look at the monitors.

"You told him?" Kate asked Rose. There was no accusation in her voice, but Rose still felt bad.

"No, she didn't." The Doctor turned to Kate with a gentle smile. "Kate Stewart, heading up UNIT, changing the way they work. How could you not be? Why did you drop 'Lethbridge'?" He asked.

"I didn't want any favors." Kate replied. "Though he guided me, even to the end. 'Science leads', he always told me. Said he'd learned that from an old friend."

"We don't let him down." The Doctor said adamantly. "We don't let this planet down."

Kate gave him a nod, and the Doctor smirked.

An alarm beeped, ending the bonding moment, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Rose looked to the cubes, focusing on each one for a few seconds. "Cubes aren't doing anything anymore." She said, moving quickly to the "Chicken Dance" cube and opening the door to blissful silence.

"They've stopped across the world," A tech Rose didn't remember meeting pointed out. They just shut down."

"Active for forty-seven minutes, and then they just die?" Kate frowned.

"Not dead. Dormant, maybe."

"Well, that's unsettling." Rose said as she closed the door to the "Chicken Dance" cube and returned to his husband's side. "Can't be the extent of the invasion. There was some harm done, I'm sure. Still, seems oddly pointless to just … make 'em do a bunch of random things then stop."

"It is. Nearly a year of anticipation, of waiting, and having less than an hour, just over three quarters of one, filled with activity ranging from harmless to murderous. Then nothing." He got up and moved to the "Chicken Dance" cube's room, opened the door and picked up the little block. He tossed it around, spun it on the table he plucked it from. "What are you!?" He yelled at it as he slammed it down.

"Okay," Rose said, moving toward him. "Maybe you need to get some air, think, yeah? Just a cube."

"No, it's not just a cube, it's a taunt." He retorted.

"Out. Head on up and out now, I'll be right there." She said gently, squeezing his arm and sending him calm.

He nodded, sending an apologetic wave to her before heading out the cube room.

Rose turned to Kate. "Sorry." She apologized for him.

"It's fine." Kate was quick to dismissed.

"No, 's not." Rose said. "He's been forced on the slow path, waiting for the cubes to do something, anything, and when they finally did it seems like it's for nothing." She shook her head. "Gonna go find him. Let us know if anything more happens, yeah?"

"Of course." Kate said, turning back to the computer bank as the phone rang.

Rose nudged her husband's mind as she headed up and through the tower. He nudged back, letting her know where she could find him.

"You, me, and battlements don't go so well." She said as she came outside. The air was cool with a hint of rain in it, as she came and sat beside the Doctor, legs hanging over the edge with him. She whispered his proper name, and he looked down at her, his attention instantly grabbed. "I'm sorry." He frowned, and she continued. "Coulda skipped some months here and there, popped back in to make sure nothing was happening, taken Melody for a bit. We didn't have to stop our lives, but I sorta made us. 'M sorry." She apologized sincerely.

He smiled warmly. "Told you decades ago you domesticated me." He reminded her. "It's been … an adventure, you and I. The slow path. Seeing what our lives woulda been like if we settled. Maybe even what your life would have been like if you'd chosen a life with the Meta Crisis, had it been possible. If he was me, which I know he was, in some way, he'd have hated the idea of being limited to the house as I was. But you, you made it better."

"'Cause I insisted on no carpets?" Rose teased, tongue between her teeth.

"Because you made it an adventure worth having. I won't lie, I'm eager to get back in the TARDIS full time, take to the stars, run full tilt. But it's been good, for her, for you, for us. She … I had to admit it, but the TARDIS hasn't had proper time to repair herself since before the Time War. She does what she can, when she can, but I've had her moving for over two centuries without much pause, if any. Now she goes months without moving, and then those trips are limited to other places on Earth, maybe other times. She doesn't go far for long, and when we come back she's better for it. She's been repairing herself. Might even be able to give us a proper desktop next. And you, I never let you experience a human life with marriage and such."

"Never wanted it, and you know that." Rose said, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"No, but you can't deny that you enjoyed it on some level or another." He bumped back, and she really couldn't deny it. The Doctor put his arm around her, pulling her head down on his shoulder. "There's an echo, sometimes, when I wonder what life without you would have been like. How would things have gone? Would I have kept my last body as long as I did, would I have allowed Amy to tempt me like she tried after I came back for her? Sometimes that echo can almost be heard, and I shudder to think that what it says is true. The kind of man I'd have become …."

"You'd have still been the Doctor." Rose assured, snaking her arms the one she leaned against.

"But not _your_ Doctor." He said, looking to her. "We knew, centuries ago, that we almost lost each other. If you fell into the void, stayed with your Mum, we both know that it would mean I'd have never have had you with me. Even if you could have come back, it wouldn't be forever.

"I wasn't thrilled about waiting, not moving, house with windows and doors for as long as it's been. But I got to experience a taste of humanity, what life with you on the slow path would have been like. Big ears would never have gone for it, and if he had he would have complained the whole time. Pinstripe, well, you already saw what I was like stuck in domestics when I was him. But here and now in this body, having regenerated with you as my wife, and my first act was caring for little Amelia, it would seem all those fears have left me."

"You saying you want this?" Rose asked, already knowing the answer.

The Doctor laughed. "No, as soon as we're able, we're running again, you and me. Until the end, it will be you and me, Rose Tyler, and all of space and time. Just like we wanted."

"Always get what you want, don't ya?" She teased with her tongue between her teeth.

"No, not always." He chuckled. After a moment, his head shot up from where it rested against hers, back straight. She sat up and looked at the Doctor. He was wide eyed, looking somewhere between panicked and annoyed. "The got what they wanted." He said, turning to her and gripping her shoulders. "That's why they stopped, the got what they wanted."

He stood up, scrambling and flailing before running for the door. Rose got up, chased after him. "Doctor!" She called after him, hoping he'd slow down. He didn't, but moving as quick as she could, she managed to catch up to him.

"Kate!" He called, and when Rose rounded the next corner she found he had nearly run into Kate in the corridor. "Before they shut down, they scanned everything, from your medical limits to your military response patterns. They made a complete assessment of planet Earth," He said as the lights when out. The Doctor took out his sonic, turning it on in what was likely flashlight mode. Rose pulled out her own, rarely if ever used sonic, and did the same. "…and its inhabitants. Problem with the power?" He asked.

"Can't be," Rose said, shining the light to Kate as she fished in her pockets. She pulled out her keys, a small flash light on the ring. "When Mitch blew it last month we lost nothing. Generators."

"Hmm," The Doctor hummed, flashing the sonic about before heading toward the cube room. Kate glanced at Rose, and Rose gestured for them to follow him. "The surge of activity was the cubes gathering information. The wanted to know about you lot. Why? Why take so long for something they could have done so quickly? Cubes drop out of the sky, people were already curious about them, why wait?"

They stepped inside the cube room and the three of them halted as they looked around them.

All the cubes were active again, but this time in a different way. Each and every one of them had an illuminated 7 on its sides.

"Why seven?" Kate asked.

The Doctor moved toward one, examining it. "Seven. What's important about seven? Seven wonders of the world. Seven streams of the River Ota. Seven sides of a cube."

"A cube has six sides." Kate said as she shone her light in the direction of the Doctor.

"Not if you count the inside." He said just as the cube changed to 6. "It has to be a countdown."

"To what?" Rose asked. "And a count down in what way?"

"I don't know, but we have to get humanity away from those cubes. God knows what they'll do when they hit zero." He turned to Kate. "Get the information out any way you can. News channels, web sites, radio, text messages, bloody twitter, what ever it takes. People have to know that the cubes are dangerous."

"I'm calling Rory," Rose said, the reasoning behind it not needed to be given. The Doctor looked at her, eyes steels as the storm brewed behind them. A quick speed dial, and Rose put her phone to her ear, listening to the ringing on the other end.

"Rose?" Rory answered.

"Rory, get the cubes out of your house, now. Don't know what's happening, but it's dangerous."

"We're not home. Amy and me, we went to the hospital. She's volunteering as we've been swamped with patients because of the cubes. Melody's back with Dad at the house, but we told her to go to the TARDIS if there's trouble." He paused. "But if she's River …."

"How did you discover that?" Rose asked, breath leaving her lungs in a rush. "Know what? Not the time. Just makes sure you and Amy are safe, I'll call Melody and get her to do as you said ASAP."

"Right, be in touch." Rory said before the hung up.

Before Rose could dial Melody, the Doctor grabbed her phone and did it him self. His posture was rigid, and he held the device to his ear in a white-knuckled grip.

The conversation he had with her was entirely in Gallifrayen, telling her in a way that prying ears wouldn't understand to take Brian and go to the TARDIS. To stay there and not come out until someone came to get them. Kate glanced over as she made her own calls, frowning a bit as she had to wonder what was going on.

When the Doctor was done, he tossed to the phone to Rose who caught it and pocketed it in one smooth motion.

"Right," he said. "Every cube was activated, there must be signals, energy fluctuations on a colossal scale. There must be some trace." He said thoughtfully. "But we need power."

"Hold on," Rose said, slipping behind the computer banks into a little alcove. She changed the setting on her sonic as she felt the panel to the latch and opened it up. A few whirs of her sonic, and the back up generators kicked on. She grinned at her handy work as lights and computers came back on around the tower.

"Look at you. One might think you learned something over the centuries." The Doctor said proudly.

"Oi," Rose grumbled, more annoyed than offended. She pocketed her sonic as she slid back over to her husband.

"Alright," The Doctor said, rubbing his hands together before plopping down in a chair. "Let's see, where the signal to these little things are." He said as he typed quickly.

Rose looked over her shoulder and noted the cubes were down to three. "Whatever you're looking for, do it fast. Countdown's going quick."

The Doctor looked over at a cube, then met Rose's eye.

" _I don't know what they'll do._ " He admitted.

" _I can go in the room with the cube that was playing the 'chicken dance',"_ She said. " _Something happens I know it'll be contained._ "

The Doctor studied Rose pensively, seeming to weigh something before he said, "Kate, I need you to clear out everyone, and I do mean everyone from this room except the three of us."

"Why?" She asked, as she hung up the phone and came over. The cubes changed to 2. "All of the cubes are contained. Whatever will happen when that countdown hits zero…."

"Kate I am asking nicely. Please. You're Alistair's daughter, I trust you. I don't, however, trust anyone else in this room with what you'll very likely see. So, again, everyone out of this room, now!" He demanded as the counter moved to 1.

Rose moved to the chamber, glancing over her shoulder once more before stepping in.

Everything once inside was muffled. She moved to the window, putting her palms against the glass, watching as everyone cleared out. The Doctor obstructed her view, stepping in front of her, putting his hands against the glass where hers was.

" _You don't have to do this."_ He reminded her.

" _It's okay. If something were to happen, I would rather it be to me than you, or anyone else in this room."_ She replied.

" _I love you."_ He said in her mind, though his mouth moved along with it.

" _I love you, too."_ She replied through the bond, mouthing as well. He stepped back, moving beside Kate who watched nervously, hands in his pockets.

Rose turned, watched the cube, approached it as it hit 0.

It went dark, and the lid slipped open, but nothing happened. Frowning, Rose peered inside.

" _It's empty."_ She told him, half turning to her husband.

He scrunched his face in disgust and disappointment. "Empty?" He clearly said out load, getting Kate to look at him in confusion.

Rose headed to the door and opened it up, stepping out and shutting it behind her as a precaution.

"What do you mean it's empty?" He asked again as he came around to meet her.

"I mean there was nothing inside." Rose replied. "Totally empty."

The Doctor ground his teeth and headed over to the bank of computers again. "Why? Why is there nothing inside? It doesn't make any sense!" He growled as he brought up some live feeds of traffic cams.

"But if they're empty, we're safe. Right?" Kate reasoned.

"No, no, no, we are very far from safe. All along, every action, has been deliberate. Why draw attention to the cubes if they don't contain anything?" He reasoned, eyes focused on the screen. "Oh." He said. "Oh people are …."

Rose's heart stuttered. She didn't think much of it at first, a murmur, maybe. But then it happened again, more powerful. She gasped, clutching at her chest, heart racing way too fast. She fell back, getting Kate's and the Doctor's attention despite not intending to.

"Rose!" Kate gasped out, kneeling beside her as the Doctor dropped beside her as well, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Her heart," He said, and she suddenly remembered to block their bond. He gasped when she released him, and she clawed at her chest as spots formed in her eyes. "Cardiac arrest."

"She's dying?" Kate asked, and Rose took one last breath before blacking out.

* * *

 

Rory would never admit that it was entirely too distracting having Amy run about in a pair of scrubs, given out to anyone who could volunteer. In their very early days, pre and post Doctor, there was some … role playing. Never once had they played doctor (too weird, especially post), or nurse (he had enough of real life). But he was starting to wish they had.

Because his wife was being gorgeous and distracting, he tried not to focus too much on her. Which is why when he sent her off to get a box of tape for dressings, he didn't realize it was taking her a bit too long at first.

"Have you seen Amy?" He asked one of his co-workers as he noticed that she wasn't slow because of distraction.

"No, sorry," he said, patting Rory on the arm.

Sighing, Rory headed down the corridor Amy would have moved toward.

He looked up and down the hall, seeing nothing on one end, and a pair of nurses pushing a gurney on the other. He almost stepped away, but the long lock of red hair and the familiar shoes drew his attention back. "Hey!" He called after them, and they seemed to pick up speed. "Hey!" He called again, running this time. He was getting closer, but he wasn't close enough. They pressed the call button on the service lift, stepped inside with Amy, and the doors closed before Rory could get there.

The lift was marked off with tape, do not move, all the warnings required to prevent anyone from wanting to use it.

He pressed the button anyway, and the doors opened instantly.

Rory frowned, inspected the inside before stepping in. There wasn't anything unusual. It was a lift, plain and simple.

Well, if there was anything he learned while traveling with the Doctor and Rose, it was that nothing really ever was plain and simple.

He started with the side walls, pounding his fists against them, trying to feel for any changes. When he found nothing, he turned to the back wall. It shimmered and rippled. With a deep breath, Rory stepped through.

He wasn't on Earth anymore. Couldn't have been as he say the planet, blue and green, and dotted with white clouds, through large windows. The picturesque view of Earth in orbit, set against the black backdrop of the vast universe and all the stars within it, still took his breath away.

But Rory didn't stay in awe for long. A shift of his eyes, and he was quite taken aback to find not only Amy on a gurney, but a few other patients from the hospital laid out on something that reminded Rory of stone altars.

He went to move toward Amy but stopped when he noted the two men who brought her in coming toward him. The way their mouths looked reminded Rory a bit of the story the Doctor once told about the gas mask zombies. It was, after all, quite similar to what he had pictured.

"Just stay away from her." He asked, hands up and out towards them in an effort to demonstrate peace. The hypodermic needle one pulled out wasn't all that reassuring.

* * *

 

She drifted into consciousness slowly.

"Doctor, you need to get her to a hospital, to the medical center at least!" Rose heard Kate say before she was able to open her eyes.

"Just give her a moment, she'll be … fine. Sort of."

"But you said the boxes." Kate said. "And that that power was absorbed and surged out from the cubes."

"Targeting the nearest human heart, yes." The Doctor confirmed. "An organ powered by electrical currents gets short circuited. Best way to destroy a human."

"Certainly had less painful deaths." Rose said, her voice barely above a whisper. She opened her bond a tiny bit, felt love and relief come over her. "I'm aching."

"You're alive!" Kate gasped out. "You … how?"

"This is why I wanted everyone to leave the room but you." The Doctor said as he helped Rose sit up. "We've had problems in the past with people gaining knowledge of Rose's … special abilities. I didn't want this to be the time we find out if there were any traitors in UNIT." He cupped Rose's cheek, and she opened her eyes a bit. The blurred vision of her husband's smile made her grin a bit herself. "It was pretty scary for me, too, this time. Delayed reaction, wasn't expected."

"Someone is killing people here. We need to stop them," Rose said, clearing her voice.

"You need to rest." Kate admonished as the Doctor helped Rose get to her feet.

"Never worried about that in another life." Rose partly teased, turning her attention to the monitors. "Looks like you found something." She said to her husband, gesturing to the highlighted points on the screen.

He kissed her hands before placing them on the back of the desk chair, then sat down in said piece of furniture while he checked out what he found. "Oh, look at all of them." He said in awe. "Pulsing, bold as brass, and seven of them. All across the world. Seven stations, seven minutes, why is that important?" He pondered. "A wormhole, bridging two dimensions. Seven of them, hitched on to this planet." He typed a few things, and the map zoomed in to a part of London.

"The Royal Hope." Kate noted.

"No." Rose said with disbelief.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Nothing." Rose said quickly. "Just … odd memories, that place."

"Isn't that where Melody said Rory works now?" The Doctor asked.

Rose's heart sunk despite the pain in her chest. "And it's where he and Amy are right now."

"It's one of the bridges." The Doctor said. "Let's get there, fast as we can."

* * *

 

They entered the hospital, and Rose pushed back the memories that threatened to break through. Of the Doctor a lifetime before, of them finding footing in new territory as lines between them were blurred or crossed all together. Of Martha Jones in her younger days before traveling, walking the Earth, and a broken heart made her into the fierce woman she was now.

"Kate," The Doctor said, partially helping in bringing Rose back to the now. "How many deaths have been recorded?"

"We don't know. The team have deduced it's something close to a third of the population."

"We need to find the wormhole," The Doctor put his hand on Kate's shoulder, making her look at him. "But the attacks could still happen. Tell the world, tell them how to deal with this. Your leadership is needed now more than ever." He said.

Kate nodded. "I'll do my best." She insisted. She turned, gestured for the small tactical team she brought with them to follow, and went off down a corridor.

The Doctor took out his sonic, taking Rose by the hand and pulling her into the waiting room of the ER.

"Reason we're heading this way?" She asked.

"I'm scanning for the wormhole portals but there's something … something this way." He said, turning about before stopping and facing a little girl. "Hello, hello! You are giving off some very strange signals." He said to her as they approached her.

The little girl looked up, her face glowing blue.

"'Splains the signals." Rose said, crouching in front of the girl. She looked at Rose, watching her curiously.

"Outlier droid monitoring everything." The Doctor explained, pointing his sonic directly at her and flipping through the settings. "If I can shut her down …." He trailed off as his sonic began to hum, and the little girl's eyes fluttered shut. "There we go," he said gently and calmly, catching her and lowering her to rest against the arm of the chair.

"Was she real? Human, I mean?" Rose asked.

"Yes. She'll have no memory of what has happened, but she's in the safest place she could be when she comes to." He said as he stood up, changing the settings on the sonic again. "Looks like the wormhole is this way," He said after turning about. The Doctor once again took Rose's hand and lead her through the hospital.

The corridor they arrived as empty except for the service lift on the far end.

"Readings coming from there." The Doctor say, gesturing toward it with his head.

"'Nough warnings to certainly be suspicious." Rose agreed.

The moved toward it, Rose hitting the call button, and both startling when the doors flew open instantly. They cautiously peered inside, looking all around the space.

"Did you see that, Sweetheart?" The Doctor asked. Rose looked to him, then followed his gaze to the back wall. It shimmered like a perception filter.

Without a word, Rose tightened her grip on his hand, and the two of them moved for the back of the lift and through the back wall.

The room was much larger than Rose expected, the view spectacular, but the occupants of the room were a bit alarming.

"Royal Hope's rep's gonna go down hill with the rate of patients being taken off planet by aliens." Rose said as she moved to the row of people off to the side. "Staff, too." She said, quickly glancing down the line and noting a pair of scrub-clad people. A double take had her gasping. "Rory! Amy!" She darted toward them, checking the latter first, than the former. Pulses were steady, breathing even.

"They alright?" The Doctor asked, coming toward them.

"Just out, I think." Rose replied. "Got those salt things you nicked off that ringleader when we stopped the underground fight ring few months back?"

The Doctor looked offended. "Do you mean the Seborean smelling salts that are outlawed in seven galaxies, including the one Favorous Majorum was in? Those smelling salts?"

"Yes, those smelling salts. Not as sneaky as you think, least with me. Now, have 'em or not?" She asked, holding out her hand palm up.

The Doctor grumbled reaching into his inner pockets and pulled out the jar.

Rose hastily unscrewed the lid and held it under Rory's nose.

The reaction was instant, and with a deep breath, Rory bolted up.

He was also almost nearly shot.

"Down!" Rose commanded, tossing the salts to Rory. "Get Amy, get her outta here." She said before making her way toward where her husband was ducking for cover. "What the bloody hell?" She asked the Doctor, craning her head up and peeking where he was.

There was an old, scaly looking figure staring them down, all but his face covered in black robes. Rose frowned as he reminded her of a character from the _Star Wars_ movies, the original ones from her time.

"So many of them, crawling the planet, seeping into every corner." He said, his voice equally as odd and a bit too sci-fi.

It flickered out of existence only to reappear a ways away at a bank of computers.

"What?" Rose whispered, more confused than anything.

She turned to her husband, but the Doctor was in awe, confusion and a bit of fear in his eyes and trickling through the bond. Not true fear, as he thought danger was immanent and they only had seconds to live. It was child like, similar to Melody's reactions after waking from a nightmare.

"It's not possible." The Doctor said as he slowly straightened to a stand. "I thought the Shakri were a myth."

"Shakri?" Rose said, bolting up. "Thing you use to threaten Melody when she wanders off or doesn't clean her room?"

"They were a story told to keep the young of Gallifrey in place. Never thought they existed." The Doctor said as he circled round to the other side of the computer banks. Rose could see his face through them, the images on screen being transparent. They cast flickering lights over her husband's face, and she moved more slowly and cautiously toward him.

"The Shakri exist in all of time and none." Star Wars man replied. "We travel alone and together. The Seven."

"The Shakri craft, connected to Earth through 7 portals in 7 minutes. Ah. But why?" The Doctor asked as Rose came up beside him.

"Serving the word of the Tally." It said.

"Tally?" Rose asked. "Like a count?"

"More like a judgement day or a reckoning." The Doctor replied. "They wish to destroy the Earth."

"Not Earth, humanity!" It countered. "The Shakri will halt the human plague before they spread."

"Plague? Bit over populated, but hardly a plague." Rose countered, crossing her arms. "Cubes were more plague than humans are."

"They will stop the human contagion. Eliminate it."

"Bloody contagion now," Rose said, eye brows hitting her hairline. "Guess that means you're right infected." Rose said to her husband.

"Ew, awkward." Amy's voice caught their attention, and they peered through the transparent screens. Rory and Amy were on the other side, standing at the ready, waiting to help.

The Doctor smiled slightly then looked to the Shakri in the room. "So here you are, depositing slug pellets all over the Earth, made attractive so humans would collect them. Hoping to find something beautiful inside." He circled around the monitors to face the thing on the other side. "Because that's what they are, not pests or plague. They're creatures of hope, forever building and reaching. Making mistakes, of course, every life form does. But, the learn. And they strive for greater, and they achieve it. You want a tally? Put their achievements against their failings through the whole of time. I will back humanity against the Shakri every time."

The thing barely let a breath pass before it countered. "The Tally must be met, the second wave will be released." It tapped a key or two on the control panel. "The human plague, breeding and fighting. And when cornered, their rage to destroy. You're too late."

It flickered out of existence.

"He's gone?" Amy asked, glancing around the area.

"He was never really here." The Doctor said as he turned to the computers now abandoned by the hologram. He started typing frantically, fingers flying. "Just the ship's interface, like a talking propaganda poster."

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, moving to his side.

"Stopping the second wave." He said before growling. He pulled his hands away from the keyboard like they burned his fingers, then pulled his sonic from his jacket. He pointed it at the screens, the whir growing louder until a couple of them flickered out. His mouth twitched into a smile. "Second wave stopped. Disconnected the Shakri craft from their portals. They'll be drifting in the dark space, now. But all those people who were near the cubes, so many of them have died."

"Been a bit, too." Rose said reluctantly, chewing her lip.

The Doctor looked to the screens, studying them, "Not from here, I'd say. Wormhole portal. We didn't just move from Earth to the Shakri ship, we moved back in time a bit. I don't remember seeing a bunch of people laying dead in the streets on the way over, did you?" He asked her, hope growing strong in his eyes as well as through the bond. She shook her head, trying to resist the contagion of his smile. "That's because," He pointed his sonic at the screens. "We restarted their hearts."

"How?" Rory asked. "A mass defibrillation?"

"Exactly." The Doctor smiled at Rory. "Using the cubes." He turned his sonic on, and as the buzz filled the anticipatory silence. "Rose, Rory, Amy, get the others off the ship. Have a feeling that …." The ship shook. "Yep, wormhole is closing up, we'll need to be quick."

Amy dashed for the gurney she had been on, moving one of the smaller patients on to it. Rory used the sniffing salts Rose had chucked him, walking up two of them while Rose picked up the last patient. He was a bit heavier than she was expecting, and her muscles strained with the effort. But a mad dash toward the wormhole entrance was all she needed to get the patient off the ship. Rory and the two conscious patients, followed by Amy and the one on the gurney came through the portal. A beat later, came the Doctor. There was a gust of wind like the tube pushing air through the tunnel, and then nothing. Rose looked over her shoulder, watching the Doctor get to his feet and feel the wall.

"There, portal closed!" He said proudly. "Wasn't so bad in the end, was it?"

* * *

 

A couple weeks passed. Rose and the Doctor put the house up for sale, all included, and moved back into the TARDIS. It promptly parked in the Ponds' back garden.

Melody had related how she and Brian did exactly as the Doctor, and her parents, asked. They stayed in the entertainment lounge, the TARDIS drastically limiting their film and television choices to only those of Brian's time and earlier. It was boring, but she lived.

And in that time, Rory had been working near constantly. Hospitals and clinics world wide were filled to capacity with staff pulling horrid hours while they helped the survivors of cardiac arrest.

"I'm bloody exhausted." Rory had said as he walked into the living room, falling on the couch between Amy and Melody.

"Why don't you and Amy go on a trip? Get some rest?" Brian suggested, the poor guy not wanting to leave his son and his family just yet. He felt the need to stay and help where he could, even if there wasn't much Amy needed help with.

"I've got to be to work in twelve hours." Rory said, flopping his head back against the couch, earning a complaint from Melody as he jostled her.

"You're gonna make the Doctor win." She grumbled as she pressed buttons frantically, correcting the mistake she made because of her Dad.

"No, would win anyway." The Doctor said, moving about and getting right into the racing game. "Superior me."

"You know we have a time ship, right?" Rose teased her friend, tongue between her teeth as he peeked over at her from near shut eyes. "Could take a month long vacation and still be back in time for your shift."

"I can stay with Melody for a few hours." Brian said, trying to encourage the respite for his son. "Go on. Been a while since you two went on a proper excursion. Save a few other worlds."

"Or we could go to a leisure planet." Rose suggested. "Nice beach resort or something."

"Could do." Amy said eagerly. "You know one place you never took us? New York. Any New York. You two have gone on about New New York, and old New York, and the bloody planet New York, yet you never took us."

"Shall we, then?" The Doctor asked, throwing his hands up in victory but paying more attention to the suggestion at hand. "Stay in a posh hotel? Take in the shows."

"Hotel?" Rose mused. "Thought you'd have had enough of the domestic life?"

"Hotels aren't domestic." He whined. "Could be fun, anyhow. Whaddya say, Ponds? A bit of a vacation?"

Amy and Rory looked to one another, Amy eager and Rory looking like he could barely stay awake.

"Alright." He relented. "So long as I can get a good, long sleep first. Can be on the TARDIS for all I care, just need some rest."

"Yay!" Amy clapped excitedly, hopping up off the couch. She moved around the back, kissing Melody on the cheek. "Be good for Granddad, yeah?" She asked.

"I will." She said absently.

"Well come on, you lot. Shift." Amy said, waving for Rory, Rose, and the Doctor to follow. They call rose much more slowly, Rory the slowest of all.

"We'll be back before you know it." Rory said to his Dad.

"See you soon, son." Brian grinned. He waved to Rose and the Doctor, and they quartet left the house.

A wind blew over the back garden, and for a reason Rose couldn't understand, she stopped and turned to look back at the house. She could see just over the fence, noting a tall man with gray hair walking with a woman who looked quite a bit like River Song heading up the driveway.

Without daring to know if it was or not, Rose moved inside the TARDIS and shut the door behind her.

The cold chill wouldn't leave her bones, and it only got worse as she looked to the Ponds who chatted with the Doctor enthusiastically.

Something was coming, and there was a bit in the back of Rose's mind that told her she already knew what it was.


	35. The Angels Take...

"And giving a shove, Wolf Girl moved James out of the way just before the death shot could hit him. She dropped, and James panicked. Running to her side, he cradled her head in his lap before getting to his knees and, …." The Doctor stopped his reading out loud, a frown coming over his face. "Not sure what's worse, that he made it almost sound like there was a romance between the two of you, or that he went on to romance our daughter."

Rose laughed from where she rested with her head in his lap, the Doctor's wool jacket spread out beneath her as they lounged with the ponds on a rock in Central Park.

Not far from the fifth avenue entrance, it was always a favorite spot of Rose's. Even if the Park itself sometimes reminded her of facing down Daleks, and that there was once a whole city within its confines, the magic of it was what always got Rose. All of New York seemed to disappear once inside, like she was transported to another world with only the tops of the sky liners as proof they hadn't moved.

"Romance? Is that what the Time Lords call shagging?" Amy teased, craning her head toward the Doctor though not able to face him properly. She rested her back against his while she read the paper. Rory was off to the side enjoying the last bit of their breakfast picnic, stretching out in a similar fashion as Rose, though without his spouse as a pillow.

"Not funny, Pond. Just you wait until Melody starts … dancing." The Doctor bit out like the word tasted awful.

"And it's quite likely that won't happen while she's with us, so we're just gonna blame you." Rory quipped back before popping a grape in his mouth.

"'S fiction," Rose chuckled. "He wanted a way to remember the year that never was, and he fictionalized it. Can't blame 'im for gettin' it all down. And with no one remembering, it does make for a good story."

"Who's book is this again?" Amy asked as she flicked the newspaper in her hand to turn the page.

"Tim's." The Doctor said with begrudging pride. "He's a best seller, now. Debut novel. _Legend of the Wolf Girl_. Main character's quite sexy, but her partner's a prat."

"You didn't do anything with Tim in the past, right? 'Cause that's a bit weird." Amy asked Rose.

"Tim's like a brother to me." Rose grimaced.

"Which means it's like he's the creepy Uncle at family reunions hitting on all the young girls." The Doctor grumbled.

"Jenny's older than him by a long shot." Rose reminded.

"It's weird that your daughter and one of your best friends are dating, just saying." Rory said, pausing before putting another grape in his mouth. "Wait, you know River, which means you know the boys Melody dates. So who, exactly, do I need to start threatening now?" Rory sat up, leaning forward enough to see Rose and the Doctor.

"No one." Rose said quickly. "No one it would bother, anyway." She added on a mumble, hoping Rory wouldn't catch it. If he did, he didn't push, though there was a slight crease between his eyes.

"So are you three gonna hush up and let me read the paper?" Amy asked with a touch of frustration. "You can read to your wife in your mind, for crying out loud."

"But there's something to be said for vocalization. Besides, looks weird to passerbys. And speaking of weird," The Doctor shifted, leaning around to look at Amy. "Something's different."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"About you, something's different about you. Can't put my finger on it."

"Doctor," Rose warned. "Let it go."

He shot her a quick, annoyed glance before returning his gaze to Amy.

Rose knew what it was, had noticed it over the last year they lived on the same street with just a house between them: the Ponds were aging.

It was easy to forget, sometimes. They spread their visits with Mickey and Martha, Sarah Jane and Luke, and Donna and her family so far apart that years or nearly a decade could pass before they'd go back to see them. In their proper schedule, Martha was only just pregnant with their daughter, Luke had only just started college, Donna still hadn't even considered child number two. But they saw the Ponds frequently, having to return with Melody so the could experience her growing at roughly the level she should be. It was quicker than they had grown accustom to when it came to companions.

"I wear reading glasses, now." Amy said calmly, trying to make it seem like this didn't bother her, though it was clear it did.

"I don't like them," The Doctor said as he inspected them. "They make your eyes look all liney."

Rose whipped her head around, chastising him with his proper name through their bond. He looked at her with a frown, not understanding.

"Okay!" Rory said, standing abruptly. "I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee? Me, I do, I'll go." He rambled raising his hand to volunteer for the mission he decided needed to happen. He then went to move off the rock.

"Rory," Amy warned calmly, halting him. "Do I have noticeable lines on my eyes now?"

"No," Rory said instantly.

"You didn't look." Amy said, the warning increasing.

"I noticed them earlier. _Didn't_ notice them, I specifically remember not noticing them." He said in a panic.

"Specifically remember not noticing anything else?" Amy asked. "Not gonna spot a gray hair in the mirror next?"

"You're still gorgeous, Amy." Rose said, hoping to give Rory the out. "You stare at screens all day, bound to have an effect, yeah? Barely look thirty, you do."

"Thank you." Amy said with a proud nod, turning back to her paper.

"Sorry," Rory said as he came back toward her, kneeling down and turning her head. "I promise not to notice more things and not tell you."

"Fine." Amy said, leaning over and giving him a peck on the lips. "Now get us some coffee, would ya?"

"Yes, ma'am." Rory saluted as he stood, heading to the slope leading to the rock.

"Ya know, been a few centuries in this body. Mind if I have a go?" The Doctor asked, reaching behind him.

Amy took off her round framed glasses and handed them to him.

The Doctor put them on, smiling wide as he looked to the page. "Actually, that is much better." He mused.

"Why don't you need glasses, there, grandma?" Amy teased, looked down at Rose. "You're, what, couple hundred years old now. Think by now you're need thick ol' pair of bifocals."

"Rose's cells regenerate nearly constantly, sorta like Melody's. Means any damage that does start to happen to Rose's eyes are cleared up before she notices. Nearly two-hundred thirty and she still looks like she's in her twenties. She looks younger than …." He stopped, the growing smile on his face deflating.

"Younger than what?" Amy questioned, obviously already knowing what he was going to say.

"Her mother." The Doctor said quickly. "When I first met her."

" _Terrible recovery,_ " Rose teased.

" _I panicked._ " The Doctor admitted.

"Alright, well, might as well keep telling us the story. What happened with James and Wolf Girl next?" Amy asked as she shifted a bit like she was trying to get more comfortable. It must look strange to an outsider: a young looking man wearing Harry Potter glasses and reading a sci-fi aloud to two women. One with her head resting in his lap, the other with her head tilted to rest on her shoulder. Suppose they'd been talking about their odd arrangement at raising Melody, that would get some heads turning. Rose chuckled at the thought but said nothing as the Doctor continued with reading.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Rose knew by the end of the second chapter that it was taking far too long for Rory to come back.

Amy took out her cell, checked something, then sighed.

"Even if he went a few blocks over, he shoulda been back by now."

"Could go look for him." Rose said. "Where'd he go?"

"Just back the way we came, coffee cart near 7th avenue." Amy read off her screen. "May as well meet him along the way." She got up quick, hopped off the rock, and moved along the walking path.

"She just leave us with the tidying?" Rose asked, and the Doctor laughed as she sat up.

He laced his fingers in her hair and held her still a moment to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. "Someone has to make up for Melody's absence. And since Amy is technically younger."

"Yeah." Rose said, reaching behind him and gathering the few things they still had strewn about from their make-shift picnic.

The Doctor grabbed his jacket and put it on, looking about the park with a wrinkle to his brow, lips in a tight line.

"What's a matter?" She asked, sensing him closing off.

"Something's off." He said. "Can sense it, taste it. It's eerily familiar in a way I don't like, but I can't place why."

"More reason to go find him, yeah?" She asked as she stood up, small basket in hand.

"Yes." He agreed.

The Doctor got off the rock first, his lack of grace hardly noticeable as he partly stumbled and flailed but made it look on purpose. He then reached up and helped Rose down, gripping her hand tightly as they headed in the direction Amy took off in.

The park was terribly quiet under the trees, moving under the roadways. Rose couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Neither could the Doctor, it seemed, because the tiny bit he did open their bond to had his discomfort mingle with hers. They came up to a fork, in the path with no sign of Amy or Rory anywhere around them.

"We split up, bond open. You see anything, you _feel_ anything totally off, tell me instantly." He said.

Rose looked at his youthful face, seeing his real age start to show in the lines by his ancient eyes. His hearts were thrumming, the rate increasing, felt in the connection of his palm against hers.

Rose got up on her toes and kissed him soundly. "Same." She said. "Got that, Shiver?"

He smirked. "Haven't used that name in centuries, Shake." He quipped.

"Feel the need to lighten the mood." She admitted, giving him one more quick peck before stepping back. "See ya soon." She promised, turning and following the path.

She still felt watched, maybe more intensely this time around. Pausing, she swore she heard a shuffle in the bushes. She whipped her head around. A squirrel maybe? Climbing up the statue obscured by trees. She took a step, moving on, and then she spotted something that made he pause all over again.

A paper coffee tray, four take away cups with assorted sugars and creams, laying on the ground as though someone dropped it out of surprise.

Frantically, Rose sent the image before her as well as the stone she saw through the trees to the Doctor as she whipped around.

She came face to face with the stone finger of a Weeping Angel. She gasped, dropping the basket, trying not to blink or shut her eyes like she desperately wanted to.

Panting, chest heaving, sun in her eyes, she squinted but forced her eyes to stay open.

" _Not gonna be able to hold out._ " She told him. " _Got me in a right, tough spot._ "

" _Reach for me, let me see where you, when you are._ " The Doctor shouted back, and she could sense he was trying to run toward her. " _Find the Ponds."_

" _Will do_." She said just before the strength in her eyelids gave out.

The world spun, but it not quite as badly as she remembered. Rose gripped her head, seeking out her bond with the Doctor through her headache. He was still near, same time it felt like, just a physical distance away.

She looked around her, seeing dinge and filth, dust layers so thick there were foot prints and scuffle marks left in it as if it were sand in the desert. Something was familiar, something nagging at her from the back of her mind. She knew where she was, she just couldn't put her finger on why she knew that.

Just as she was climbing to her feet, a shadow fell over her, and something smacked her upside the head.

And everything went dark.

* * *

 

She was still somewhere in New York, 2022, he could feel her. Their bond wasn't stretched, pulled, or weakened with the distance of time. Rose was still in somewhere in the city despite having faced down an Angel, and not talking. His feet still retraced their steps to where she would have gone, and stopped abruptly when he saw the picnic basket on the grown beside a paper tray of takeaway coffees.

Whipping out his sonic, the Doctor moved about, trying to look everywhere at once in search of the angel that took his friends and wife. He listened to the sonic, trying to get a read on where the vile creature was.

"Hello, Dad." He jumped at the sound of River's voice, and turned to see her walking toward him.

"Don't move, there's an …."

"Angel? Think I haven't heard this story before?" She asked as she put her hands in her short trench coat. She looked around them, at the trees, the glimpses of park, never seeming too worried about the danger looming. "I've come to help."

"Why?" He asked. "If you heard the story…."

"It's like when I was told about Demon's run, the Pandorica, I was told I was there but not the details. Except, no one told me the River was actually me. I was told vague details, that there was a great adventure and it involved my proper parents as well as you two. Jack … he knew not to say anything even as I got older and understood that I was supposed to be there."

The Doctor lowered his sonic, moving to River, studying her sad eyes. "How old are you now, Melody?"

"A hundred something." She said. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the oldest you've ever seen me."

"Jen?"

"With her family." She said with a shrug. "Finally stopped the nonsense of jumping around Tim's time line. May even stop jumping so far back into yours."

"And how did you get here?" He asked, still keeping an ear toward the sonic and eyes peeled for movement in the corner of his eye.

River lifted her wrist. "Always wondered how I came across this, Jack's manipulator, and how I somehow had a version of it even when he still had his own. He traveled back, bloody head on a robot body, and gave it to me. He himself is constructed with the technology built in."

He nodded, noting the sonic turned up no strange or temporal readings.

Putting the sonic away, the Doctor looked around them once more before reaching out and gently gripping River's shoulders.

"Why would an Angel take them, but not send them back in time? Why would it only displace them?"

"Weakness," River replied, knowing the answer as much as he did. "The Angel is weak, and can't do the damage it needs to. But how does an Angel build up power again?"

The Doctor considered it. Displacement seemed the likely answer, but he always assumed when left dormant and without feeding, the Angel would simply turn to stone permanently.

He pondered deeply, not realizing that the sonic was beeping at him madly until after he heard River gasp, and disappear from his grip.

The Doctor wanted to blink, but he didn't, keeping his eyes focused on the Angel in front of him. It had seen far better days, he could tell. It was chipped and scratched, worn and as if one wrong shift in quantum lock would cause it to fall apart.

"So weak, poor baby." He tensed at the sound of Her voice but refused to look away from the angel. Cuffs were clamped down on it's wrists, long chains leading to something behind it, pulled taught.

Taking a step back out of it's reach, the Doctor blinked.

The Angel didn't move.

"They say they're shamed Time Lords, forced to hide their faces in shame for opposing the highest authorities. You should be one of them, Doctor." Miss Smith came around from behind the Angel, a satisfied smile on her face.

She looked different than all the other times he'd seen her, appearing nearly innocent. Her dark hair was pulled back, and she wore a yellow sun dress with a pattern of pink roses. She was strikingly like her sister, yet where Cass had been determined, brave, this one was malicious and cruel.

"Where are they?" He asked through gritted teeth. "Amy, Rory, Rose, River, where are they?"

"Oooh, did I hit a nerve finally?" She taunted. "Been trying to do that for years, always just missing my mark. Thought it would be easier when I spotted little Amelia through the hole in the prison where Prisoner Zero escaped. But out here, where we just look like a pair of lunatics talking around a chained statue, probably not the best place to explain."

"Have somewhere in mind?" He asked her, sensing something or someone coming up behind him.

"Of course." She smiled just before something struck the Doctor on the head.

* * *

 

Rose woke up with a pain on the back of her head. Not death, she knew there would be a difference. She gingerly reached up, touched the back, and found the expected bruise. Wincing, she looked about the room she was in. Small, no windows, one door.

A prison, essentially.

Another groan, and Rose looked down to her left, seeing River stirring as well.

"How did you get here?" She asked the curly-haired woman, shifting to help her sit up.

"Same way you did, Mum." She replied, rubbing at the back of her head. "Touched by an Angel, then smacked by a club." Rose looked her over on instinct, and River laughed. "Bit too old for that now."

"Hush," Rose smirked. "Don't see any blood, just a knock out."

"Tougher than I look, remember?" She got to her feet, and Rose did the same. "Can you reach the Doctor?" She asked as she did the same cursory glance around the room Rose had.

She tried to reach him through their bond, but Rose found the Doctor not closed off so much as dormant. She could count on one hand the amount of times this sort of reaction came from sleep, so she was positive she knew what happened to him.

"He's been knocked out." She said confidently. "Might be on our own for a but." She brushed her hair back as she made to reach into her jacket pockets only to find she didn't have one. "That was my favorite one." She grumbled to herself.

"Looking for your sonic?" River asked her, and Rose nodded. River reached down her shirt, in what looked like her cleavage, and pulled out the sonic pen the Doctor had given her in her last body.

"Where were you keeping that?" Rose asked with a tongue touched grin. "Or do I not want to know what you and Jack have been up to?"

"Had a pocket sewn in the wide band of my bra," River smirked, eyes twinkling with pride. "And I may have made it bigger on the inside."

"What else you keeping in there?" Rose asked as she took the sonic from her foster daughter's grasp.

River used both hands this time, rummaging and struggling until she pulled out a small gun. "Compact laser deluxe." She said, caressing the gun lovingly. "Jack hides it in a few more unusual places, but it's a perfect fit for where I keep it."

"Right, so, sonic pen, a compact gun, got all we need for an escape, yeah? Can go find your parents. Bound to be around here somewhere. I was going after your father and then your mother before I was taken."

"I was talking to the Doctor. We were wondering what would cause an Angel to regain strength." She said as the pair of them headed for the door.

Rose moved through the settings on the unfamiliar pen, eventually finding the one to unlock the door. "I dunno," She said as she waited for the click. "But we aren't gonna know until we get out of here." Nothing was happening, so out of curiosity, Rose tried the knob. It turned easily. "Ready?" She asked.

"Absolutely." River said.

They opened the door and startled. Rose was very careful not to blink as an Angel stood, hands lowered from its face, a gentle smile that bared teeth as if merely reminding them it was deadly.

"A mirror." River said, and Rose heard her shifting about. "It was facing a mirror, facing itself."

Rose heard an effort of some variety, River's grunt of exertion. She then felt River's grip close around her wrist.

"What?" Rose asked, eyes starting to burn from the strain of keeping them open. Her fingers closed around a cool, metal edge, tips caressing glass.

"Hold the mirror in front of you." River said, and Rose slowly shifted the full length, reflective surface in front of her. She braced for the worst. "Hasn't moved." River said with relief. "Back into the room, as far as you can go."

Rose began to carefully back up, making sure to keep the mirror in front of her as she went. There was dragging, though she didn't dare peek around to see if River was doing what she thought she was. When Rose's back hit the wall of the small room, she carefully stepped out from behind the mirror.

The angels face was a bit more aggressive this go, eyes narrowed but was obviously unable to do anything more than that before it was caught in its own reflection. And River had done what Rose expected: pushed it into the room. Setting the mirror carefully against the wall, Rose darted for the door with her foster daughter.

They slammed the door, throwing the lock and securing it with the sonic pen just as the sound of shattering glass came from behind the wood door. There was a pounding, and for a moment, Rose wondered if it would be enough.

"We need to find your parents, and now." Rose said to River. "Chances are we aren't the only one guarded by an Angel tamed by a bloody mirror."

"Why are there Angels here acting as guards anyway?" River asked as the pounding continued.

"I dunno. Not sure I wanna find out." Rose said stepping away from the door. "But shouldn't stop us from moving." She took River's hand and the two moved down the corridor at a brisk pace, looking about and hoping to find a clue as to where they were or why they were there.

* * *

 

The Doctor came to, feeling his arms strapped down to a wooden chair with cuffs that easily didn't belong in the century. His senses told him he'd been out for about fifteen minutes, and a test of his bond with Rose tipped him off that she was conscious if not a bit distracted at the moment.

"Didn't take you long to wake up." Miss Smith's voice said just before her face came into view.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"A very old, abandoned theater where there was some sort of mass murder back in 1930. You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, did you? Lots of homeless, down on their luck people went missing. Most in the city treated them with contempt, like they were lesser, and it sounds exactly like something a Time Lord would do." She said, a light grin coming to her lips. "Anyway, no one bothered with it. Sorta shut it down, and no one wanted to demolish it. Funny, since this is a city in a time when things are constantly changing, but it was just such a bad omen kind of thing to take it out."

"And why are we here?" He chewed out, leaning forward. "Did I somehow make you angry when I faced all those Daleks and didn't die?"

She chuckled. "It angers me every time you face anything and don't die. Doesn't help that for the last few centuries you've had your Wolf Pup taking care of you." She shrugged. "Do you know how hard I searched for you? After learning that you were out there, somewhere, in the Universe? I was imprisoned for impersonating a Time Agent to gain access to their time-travel technology. Had to wipe the memory of the poor bloke who I'd gotten close with. Wasn't my intention, but he could just be so charming." She added with such a girly giggle, a lift of her shoulders and a dreamy smile that the Doctor could actually see her as a young girl for a moment instead of a psychopath. "That's where I found you, you remember? Prisoner Zero and all that? I just knew when I looked at you, standing beside that little girl, Amy, and the guards sent you a message. That's why I chose her, you know? You defended her with such passion I thought she'd be indispensable."

"She is." He sneered.

"Oh yes, of course she is. She is what led us here, to this moment. And Bad Wolf. I heard that all through time and space. A legend that's been tied to you since, oh, easily your idiotic pin stripe self. Tenth regeneration, right? Which makes this one your eleventh. I could shoot you twice, stop you mid regeneration. I could shoot twice still, barely wait for those newly formed nerve endings to settle before killing you and ending your regeneration cycle. But that would be too good for you." She said, smile dropping as a darkness came over her. "No, I think torture is best at this point. You took away the only person I loved. Now I'm going to make you suffer as you watch me pick off your companions one, by one."

She stepped forward and turned his chair around, pointing him to a bunch of monitors.

"Thought this place was abandoned." He said as his sharp eyes instantly found Rose and River running through the corridors on one of the screens. "Certainly didn't have security technology in 1930."

"I installed it." She said in his ear, fingers caressing the skin on his neck. "Someone out there believed in the Weeping Angels, and he wanted to see what they could do for himself. I rounded up what ones I could find, but they are just so weak. This world, there's always someone looking, someone who's peripheral vision they enter. And reflective surfaces, oh, humans of this century are so full of themselves. Glass everywhere, especially in Manhattan. The few strays that found themselves in this time and place are just so starved. But here, in my little rundown theater, I placed a few of them, promised them food in exchange for help. And oh, oh that brilliant, mad little man wrote and wrote about them, observing them to his heart's content on the monitors." She sighed, running her hand around the back of the Doctor's neck and wrapping her slender fingers around his throat. "But they couldn't regain strength, poor babies. Even sacrificing most of my men to them they could do nothing more than displace. Humans always say how the enter a room and don't remember how they got there, or get to where they're going without really remembering the journey. Sometimes it's just them being a typical, pathetic human. Sometimes it's because an Angel, waiting for you in the park, touched the wrong person."

"So what have I to worry about, then?" He asked, turning toward her slightly, his floppy hair brushing against her forehead. "One of your _babies_ touches one of my companions, and they get displaced to somewhere out in the city? Not sure how that is picking them off."

"Because one of the Angels isn't that weak." She said with a giggle, studying his face as he did the best he could to keep a neutral expression. "One of them has actually sent a few of my men back through time, has gotten stronger. And it's in there, in the theater with your Rose and River, your Amy and Rory. How guilty will you feel when you become the reason little Melody Pond doesn't have the parents you fought so hard to make sure she was returned to?" Her manic grin softened. "You know, I've only managed to find two of your forms after the war, the one immediately after always eluded me. But this one, oh I think this one is just perfection. If I didn't hate you so much," She caught him by surprise, kissing him hard, biting his lip enough to draw blood. She hummed in satisfaction as she pulled back, wiping a crimson drop from her lower lip. "I'd probably be as charmed by you as it seems Cass was at first."

"Would she have wanted you to do this?" He asked Her point blank, hoping to get her to see through her madness. "Would Cass have really wanted you to avenge her death when she was going to die with or without me there? She was crashing into the nearest planet whether I had arrived or not. Would you have gone after Karn? The military of your own planet? Your sister died a hero, she saved every member of that ship by teleporting them back home. The lengths you've gone to hunt me down, to try and create a weapon, and she would have still not made it home."

She slapped him, nearly Jackie Tyler like in strength, causing him to recoil and his lower lip to throb where she bit him. He would have reached up, wiped the blood from his chin, had he been able to move his hands. Instead, the Doctor turned back toward her, maneuvering so that his waistcoat became his handkerchief.

"If you hadn't distracted her, she'd have found a way. If you hadn't led her away from the pilot's chair, Cass would have done something to get out. Delay the teleport, steered her ship to just circle in space until rescue came. You gave her hope and …."

"And she didn't take it!" He yelled back. "I have tried to tell you, I wanted to save her. I begged, I pleaded, I tried to reason with her! I wasn't even in the Time War at that point, I was avoiding it! I picked up her distress call and went to give her aid. It was Cass who refused me. Cass who deadlock sealed the doors so I couldn't grab her and drag her into my TARDIS where I could have brought her back to you and your family."

"She was all the family I had!" She yelled back. "Our parents were killed by Daleks as they were helping us escape. I was ten years old when Cass was killed. I was put into home, after home, because I had no where to go and no one wanted to deal with me." She straightened up as if getting control of herself. "And now, since you took Melody from me all those years ago, since you gave her a proper family with her parents, I'm going to force her into the same life. I'm going to make her go into the system like her mother would have if it weren't for her aunt. I'm going to shape her to become like me and hate you for taking away the only life she knew, the only love she'd ever have. And if you somehow make it through this with your sanity, Doctor, I'm going to make certain that she wants you to suffer and die as much as I do." She took a deep breath. "But first, I'm going to make you watch as her parents, and your partner, and your companion run around in terror, waiting for the worst to happen."


	36. And her we are, Old Friend

"This is unsettling." Rose grumbled, still clutching River's hand as they moved through what Rose now knew was an old theater. "Keep remembering pig men and Daleks, expecting to see them at every turn."

"Now, Mum, don't get too swept up in bad memories." River said as she stopped at the end of the corridor. "Likely being kept in a dressing room, aren't they?" She asked, and Rose glanced to see that they were at stage left.

There were still splinters of wood and broken boards strewn about from where the Daleks came through years ago. She could almost hear the Doctor's old voice still demanding the Daleks kill him, feel the terror that thrummed through her as she stood beside him.

"Why here?" She wondered aloud. "Aside from it being abandoned, why are we here?"

"I don't know." River said, pointing above their heads. "But we're being watched, and not by someone of this century. Tech is too new."

Rose looked up, noting the near-invisible camera. It was only the tiny light that gave it away, and unless someone had a slight idea of what they were looking for, they wouldn't see it.

"Then we should try and stay out of sight while we're in here," Rose said, shifting out the camera's sight line. "We were imprisoned for a reason, let's not find out why.

"We could split up." River said. As Rose went to protest, River held up her hands in an effort to hold back the lecture. "I know, I know it's better if we don't. But I was with the Doctor, and chances are he's here somewhere too. One of us should find him, the other should find my parents, and then we can figure out a plan from there."

"Better with five." Rose mumbled before sighing. "Fine, okay, yeah, you have a point. Got a cell, preferably the one we gave you, what, seventy odd years ago now?"

River smiled. "More like eighty."

Rose snorted, then a thought came to her. "Why did you stop going by Melody?" She asked softly. "What changed?"

River's smile softened. "I grew up." She shrugged. "And growing up when you're a time traveler means that sometimes you find yourself running into the people who raised you before they know who you are. Sometimes it means seeing your parents before they even know you're meant to be born. I remembered the translation of the prayer leaf, and when I figured I would need to use a separate name, I chose River Song."

Rose nodded, understanding to a degree, but not completely. "Well, be careful Melody," She said. "Use your old device to get to me."

"And how are you going to do that if who ever took us took our jackets?" She asked.

"'Magine I can find that as well as the Doctor. Besides, like I said, was my favorite. Oh," She said, wiggling the sonic pen between her fingers before giving it a toss to River who caught it effortlessly. "Might as well hold on to that, too, just in case."

"And what about you?" River asked.

"Don't worry about me." Rose said. "I get displaced or whatever, I've got the bond, I can get back to the Doctor eventually. 'Sides, you're my daughter, I need you more safe than me." She said with a smile before dashing off.

She felt the edges of her bond with her husband, prodding it and hoping he would give her some sign of what was happening.

" _Her._ " Fluttered into her mind, soft like a whisper.

" _Are you in the theater?_ " She asked as she turned to corner, coming face to face with an angel.

" _Yes,_ " He replied. " _Careful, only one Angel is at full strength_."

What were the chances she'd be facing the one that was? She couldn't look around for a mirror, and knew that even if luck was on her side, and she was facing a weak Angel, she still wouldn't be quick enough to escape it. She backed up, rounded back around the corner, and dared to blink.

It followed, hands outstretched.

Nope, she wasn't going to be able to out run it.

But staring at it, it was only stone, wasn't it? It was worn, cracked, having seen better days.

Never peeling her eyes from it, Rose thought to try something. Grabbing one of it's hands, her heart stuttered as nothing happened. She ran her hand up the length of its arm until she got to the elbow, and tried her very best to ignore that this was a living creature. It was her or it, they were deadly, and she couldn't risk being displaced in any place or time.

She snapped it's arm off.

And then she used it to bash the head.

She tried to keep her eyes open as a precaution, but instinct from flying bits of stone and dust made her shut them. Her hit missed her mark a moment, then felt the stone hand grab her arm.

Rose opened her eyes to see the Angel on it's knees, mouth open wide, crying in pain with half it's face gone. It had a weak hold on her arm with it's remaining one. She butted the fingers with the broken off arm, snapping them away before she lifted her leg and gave a firm kick to the Angel's head.

It broke off.

Nausea churned inside her as Rose tried to reason with herself that it was an it or her situation. She was covered in stone dust, not blood. It was living but not fully alive. Thats what she told herself as she dropped the arm to the ground and charged down the hall, feeling for the bond to grow in strength.

She could hear shuffling behind her, and quickened the pace she had until she found a dressing room. She ducked inside, sighing with relief when she saw the three paned mirror at the vanity table, and the full length one covered in feather boas.

She wheeled that one to the doorway, gasping as she noted three Angels with teeth and claws had almost trapped her inside.

"Oh, thought you'd be able to get me, yeah?" She taunted. "Bet you found me 'cause I killed your friend. But I know you can't move if something sees ya." She risked the single mirror not being enough and moved to the vanity table. There was a hand mirror sitting next to a brush, and she put that one in her back pocket before moving the vanity table to better angle itself to the doorway. All three angels were reflected, as were the two others that started around the corner. "Bloody brilliant, this is." She said gripping the full length mirror and pushing it past the angels who remained still.

She used it to peek around the corridor corner, maneuvered herself so she was pushing it with her back against it while facing the other way.

She would hear a shuffle then nothing, and while it did concern her that at any moment she may come to a dead end form an Angel, she knew she was too close to the Doctor for it to really worry her.

When she came to a doorway where she could practically feel him on the other side. she sent out a nudge to her husband. He responded, but remained quiet otherwise.

She blinked, and an Angel was rounding around a corner she had just passed.

Holding tight to the mirror, Rose maneuvered it around as she turned to face the doorway, keeping it as a shield while she turned the knob and headed inside.

The woman in a playful sun dress startled, looking at her wide eyed as her fist balled at her side.

"No," She said. "No, you shouldn't be here. They should have gotten you by now!" She protested.

"Oi, you were the one that held them off with mirrors." Rose countered, spotting her jacket along side River's on a coat rack. She plucked it up, shrugged it on, and went to turn toward the woman.

Rose got punched in the face.

She punched back, harder, feeling cartilage shatter under her knuckles. The woman fell to the floor, clutching her nose, and Rose put her foot on Her back, pinning her down to the floor, yanking her pony tail taught to hold her firmer.

Rose then turned to the Doctor. "Hello, Love."

"Hello Sweetheart." He grinned, wiggling his hands. "Do you mind?"

Rose reached inside her jacket pocket with her free hand, searching her transdiminsional pockets for her sonic screwdriver. Once found, she used it to release the bonds on her husband.

"Ah, much better." He said as he stood, rubbing his wrists as he came up behind her. He kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

Rose shrugged. "'S what marriage is, yeah? You help me, I help you."

"Quite right," he said, looking to the bank of monitors. "Where's our daughter?" He asked as he searched them. "Lost track of her earlier."

"Your what?" The woman under Rose's foot snarled as she attempted to struggle.

"She's off to find Amy and Rory." Rose replied. "Mind gettin' your sonic ready?" She asked.

The Doctor nodded, plucked it out of his pocket, and gave it a twirl.

Rose yanked the woman up by her hair and tossed her in the chair bolted to the floor and equipped with restraints. A quick whir of the sonic, and She was held there, unable to move.

"Now," The Doctor said, as he turned completely toward the woman in the chair. "In all your time hunting me down, learning about me, trying to find out what makes me tick, you seem to not have found out about the family I made post-war. Good, great, fantastic, even, as it means that they're safe. Doesn't matter where you've been through all of space and time, you've never managed to dig up that little bit."

"You mean your Children of Time?" She asked in a taunt.

"No, I mean my family. My wife, my daughters. Hell, in the future I may even be a grandfather again, but in all your digging and searching for my weakness you managed to remain blissfully ignorant of those things. That I am _not_ the last of the Time Lords, not anymore." He gripped the clamps holding her arms down. "You knew so much and so little about me, like I you. And since you just got to know me a little better, how about a name?"

"Power in a name, right? Isn't that why Time Lords hide behind pompous titles and ludicrous nicknames?"

"There's power if you want there to be." He countered. "Why won't you let me know who you are?"

A phone rang, and Rose could feel the annoyance radiating off the Doctor as she attempted to fish her cell out her pocket. Seeing Melody's name, she answered. "River?"

"Got Mum and Dad," She said to Rose over the phone. "Going to get them out of here, and …."

"Rory!" Amy cried out in the background, and Rose immediately turned her attention to the monitors. She searched them, finding one with River and Amy on stage staring down an Angel who had its hand raised and pointing toward them.

Pulling her phone away from her ear, Rose moved to the computer banks, finding the keyboard, bringing up controls on the monitor beside the one showing the women. She turned on the audio, two ways, and hoped beyond hopes it wouldn't startle them into a blink.

"Amy," She said, and the Angel shifted just a bit closer to them. "River, what's happening."

"Rory," Amy said. "He's gone, it took Rory."

* * *

 

Amy woke up to her husband hovering over her.

"Rory," She said, throwing her arms around him despite the pounding in her head. He brought her close to him, and she thought he breathed her in.

"Figure's we'd go on vacation with those two and wind up getting … teleported or something. And whacked on the head, can't forget that part." He said with a bit of humor in his voice.

Amy chuckled. "Yeah, will be feeling that in the morning. Ugh." She said as she shifted out of his arms to look around them. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea." He said as they got to their feet. "All I know is that I was bringing the coffee back, heard something behind me, felt something touch my neck that made me drop the tray and then …. How did you get here? And where's Rose and the Doctor?"

"We went looking for you." She said. "Mighta dashed ahead of them. Kinda eager to get to you."

"Well, we're together now." Rory said, taking another look around. "Together and trapped."

"How do you know we're trapped?" She asked as she moved to the door. "Did you try the knob?" She clutched it and gave it a turn, opening the door and finding her breath coming up short. "Holy …. Rory, don't blink."

"Why?" He asked as Amy stared at the Weeping Angel that was staring at her.

"Because I know those things. Their Weeping Angels, they … they're deadly, and powerful, and only really killed with an explosion, and are only stone when you look at them, and the Doctor is terrified of them." Amy tried to explain.

"Terrified?" Rory mocked.

"Properly uncomfortable with them." She snapped back, trying very hard not to blink.

"Right, so, we just have to keep looking at it. But what's blinking got to do with anything, how fast can something move in a blink?"

Amy was struggling against just that, and the last of her strength faded out. Rory yelped, in that second she'd let her eyes slip shut, the Angel now had claws and sharp teeth bared.

"Alright, so, not gonna blink." Rory said. "But how do we get out of here if we can't not look at it?"

"The Mirror!" River's voice called out, and Amy resisted the urge to look for her. "Mum, Dad, get the mirror off the door."

Amy didn't dare move, but sensed Rory doing what their daughter recommended. With a heave, he plucked it off the wall.

"Keep it pointed toward the Angel." River said, her voice getting closer. "Back into the room."

Amy obeyed, Rory stepping in front of her and brandishing the mirror like a shield.

She heard a shuffle, and after it stopped, River came into view. "Prop the mirror against the wall and come with me." She waved them along.

Amy stepped out of the way, still keeping her eyes on the Angel while Rory propped the mirror up, pointed toward the creature. Once it was settled she ran for the door. River closed it once they all exited, and pulled out something that looked a lot like a pen and pointed to the lock.

It whirred.

"Your pen is … sonic?" Rory asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah," River said with a smile. "A birthday present of sorts from the Doctor."

"Okay." Rory said with a nod before turning to Amy. "Our child gets sonic devices from the Doctor. That's a future we can look forward to."

Amy noticed the slight tense in River's shoulders, but it lasted such a short amount of time she wondered if she'd even seen it.

"So what are they, exactly?" Rory asked as River turned back toward them.

"Weeping Angels are creatures of time. Normally they send you back through time and feed of the temporal energy it creates. Essentially, it eats up your tomorrows."

"So you don't die, you just sorta get … moved. That's not terrible, especially for us. Friends and parents of time travelers." He countered with a grin.

River smiled and chuckled, eyes crinkling a little, showing lines that Amy hadn't noticed before. She grinned, warmed at the sight of her daughter all grown up, realizing more than she'd like how much Melody already looked like her future self.

"We should probably get going." She said to the both of them. "Rose went to get the Doctor, and I think we'll be able to get out of here once she does."

"What about the Angels?" Amy asked. "How are we going to avoid them. Gotta be more than just the one in there, yeah?"

"I encountered some, but they were moving away from here toward something. Maybe Rose did something to attract their attention." She tilted her head. "We can cut across the stage, it'll be faster that way."

River led them digging around in her top before pulling out something that looked like a cell phone. She did a couple taps on the screen as she brought them to a stage covered in dust and debris that Amy found she had to cautiously step around.

"Got Mum and Dad." River said quite suddenly. Amy turned to smile at Rory trailing behind, pride for Melody swelling so much she wanted to share it with her husband.

As he grinned, he vanished, replaced in her line of sight with an Angel.

"Rory!" Amy cried out, forcing her eyes to stay open and look at the Angel in front of them.

"Amy, River, what's happening?" Rose's voice came from somewhere above, causing Amy to blink a touch. The Angel crept closer.

"Rory," Amy said. "He's gone, it took Rory."

"Where is he?" The Doctor's voice viciously asked, and before Amy could respond, someone else did.

"I don't know." Miss Smith's voice replied. "But the temporal markers have spiked."

Silence.

"What does that mean, Doctor?" Amy asked, losing her battle in not blinking. "Temporal markers, what does that mean!?" She cried out, accidentally blinking. Nothing happened, and she realized her and Melody were fighting the same urge and somehow didn't cave at the same time.

"It means … he's been sent back. Through time."

"When?" She demanded.

"I don't know." His voice came through shakily.

Amy took a deep breath. "Alright, okay. So … so if this Angel touches me…."

"Amy, no." He said.

"If it touches me will I go back to the same time and place as him?" She asked, voice strong as her heart picked up speed and tears threatened to spill.

"Yes," The Doctor said. "Yes, the same Angel will send you back to the same place and time, but Amy …."

"No!" She said, shaking her head. "No, listen. Together or not at all, right? That's what marriage is. So … so I go back, and we wait for you together. And you come find us, Raggedy Man. You come and find us, and don't you dare be late, you got that?"

There was a pause. "And if you create fixed time? If you make it so we can't get you?"

"Together." She said firmly. "Or not at all. All the things we've seen and done with you, and one thing I learned was he and I belong together. The Universe depended on it at one point, and I will be damned if it doesn't stay that way. Melody," She reached behind her, waiting to feel her daughter's hand. "It'll be okay, right?" She asked softly, hoping that the Doctor and Rose wouldn't hear. "You've lived through this, you know."

She felt Melody kiss her hand. "Spoilers." She said in a shuddering breath that took Amy's out of her lungs.

She nodded once, sucking all the air in her lungs she could while knowing in a moment the air would be different, and it wouldn't be one she shared with her daughter.

"Raggedy Man, Wolf Girl." She smiled, "Goodbye."

Amy closed her eyes, and the world spun.

* * *

 

The moment Amy vanished from the stage, River lifted her arm, compact blaster in hand, and fired three shots at the Angel. "I'll be right there." She said coldly, turning and continuing the way she was heading.

The Doctor turned and looked at the woman in the chair, his body taut, fists clenched, eyes revealing the storm.

She laughed. "Oh and look at you." She said, all too pleased with herself. "Here's the real you, isn't it? The one who …."

"If you say 'killed your sister', I'm going to…." He raged, teeth gritted as he got in her face.

And Rose didn't stop him, couldn't stop him, not remembering what she did now.

" _I meet you? Properly meet you when you change?" She asked, trying to be subtle in her curiosity._

_The light in the Doctor's eyes told her he knew what she was fishing for. "You're still with me now." He said._

" _Then how can you be missing me, hmm?" She challenged._

_He smiled wide. "Rose Tyler, you know I wouldn't risk you seeing your future like that." He tucked her hair behind her ear, and the fact that the gesture felt like habit allowed relief to settle into her. "We just lost a pair of companions, and it was more difficult and sudden than usual. You and River went to break it to Jenny, and I just couldn't bare to see her hearts break."_

She had remembered before, when he first found the clothes he wore now, but the rest came without resistance. His casual mention of Jenny that he later had to correct and hide as to not let the future slip. But most of all, she remembered how heartbroken he was.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Rose kept her own heartache tucked away where he couldn't sense it.

"Going to what?" The woman taunted. "Oh please, show me, _Doctor_. How does one of the 'good ones' react to such a situation, hmm? I warned you that your loved ones would be picked off, one by one. It's just a shame that Angel was destroyed before it could get to the others."

"Oh yes," River's voice came from the doorway, as cold and even as the Doctor's. "A real shame." River came around, stood in front of the woman in the chair, and pointed the blaster at the woman. River's arm was steady, and there was a slight pout to her lips as she glared down the woman. "You're the reason. I always wondered, and no one ever told me the real, full story, because I was here when it happened. But now I do. Now I know that it's you who made me live out the rest of my life without my proper parents."

"Melody, shut up." The Doctor snapped and the woman in the chair paled.

"No," She said, shaking her head. "No, it can't be. You're not Melody, my Melody."

"No, I am not _your_ Melody." River said with a dark, sickly sweet smile. "I'm their Melody. I'm a child of the TARDIS, born in a century that was not my own, raised by time travelers because a psycho bitch tried to make me a weapon against the man I love as a father. The only thing you ever gave me was damage."

Rose waited for the woman to say something, but she didn't. She merely stared at River with pain and regret.

"What's you name?" River asked her.

"Why should I say?" The woman countered.

"Because putting 'Her' on a tombstone doesn't make it final enough, what's your name?" River said as she charged the blaster.

She didn't answer, merely staring at River and breathing heavily.

"Fine," River said, looking away. "Mum, Dad, I'm going to need a moment, please." She asked kindly, and Rose nodded numbly.

The Doctor took longer to consent, taking Rose's hand and pulling her out the room.

In the hall, broken stone and rock dust littered the floor, the Angels that followed Rose completely destroyed. As she looked about the mess, she heard a laser shot from back inside the room. Rose risked a peek at the Doctor, but the storm was still raging. If she didn't know any better, Rose wondered if maybe he'd have fired the shot himself.

"You remembered something," He said as he shifted his gaze and met her eye. "Something that relates to events here and now."

Rose nodded. "Yeah."

"Well forget it, we're getting them back." He said, heading down the corridor.

"But Doctor."

"No!" He whirled around and yelled, body shaking with the effort. "No, I refuse to accept what you're remembering, what Melody said in there. I refuse to believe that she has managed to take anything from me!" He shook, calming only a fraction. "We are going to the TARDIS, and we are going to get them back!" He looked past her to the doorway. "You know, don't you? When they were taken back to."

Rose looked at Melody over their shoulder.

She nodded. "They were brought back to 1938. But, Doctor …."

"No."

"Dad."

"I said 'no'!" He stormed off, and Rose followed as quick as she could.

They tore through Manhattan on foot, finding they weren't brought all that far away from Central Park. They headed straight for the TARDIS, parked near The Mall and looking part of the park.

Rose said nothing as they headed inside, figuring that perhaps it was best to let the Doctor do his thing, set the coordinates and flip the switch before speaking up.

"You left our daughter behind." She said simply. "Their daughter, too. Think that will go over well?"

"Melody has a Vortex Manipulator, she'll be fine." He said, the words curt but without edge. "I can't … I can't accept that this is the end for them, for us, for her. Time can be rewritten."

"But, Doctor …."

"Please," He said, coming over and gripping Rose's shoulders. There was grief in his eyes that broke her heart, and she cupped both his cheeks in return. "Please, we can't lose them like this. They're our family, Rose. We spend holidays and weekends with them, we lived the slow path with them next door, we can't lose them. Forget, please, please forget what you remember because this has to be the one time we can rewrite events."

She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, wiping away the tears that leaked out, and kissed him gently.

The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor stepped back and dried his eyes. Straightening his waist coat and his bow tie, he headed for the doors.

Rose followed.

He opened them with confidence, and she stepped outside with him.

They were in a back garden, white picket fence around the parameter. There was a sandbox and a football, and a swing set where a little boy was being pushed by his mother.

Her hair was red, with large curls that framed her face. She wore a simple dress in pale blue, and smiled at them with painted red lips.

"Raggedy Man," Amy said, smile growing. "You're late."


	37. You and Me on the Last Page

Jack Harkness had been sitting on a bench in Central Park, quite the distance away from where Hooverville was. Not that he had a problem with them, quite frankly he'd go and give them a hand wherever he could after he heard about the whole Dalek thing. He'd only heard whispers of it, and cursed his missing the Doctor and Rose once again, but he still sucked it up and went to help where could. He helped a wonderful, if not odd couple find a home in the suburbs, and helped pay for surgery to make the poor man less pig-like. Not that reconstructive surgery resulted in prettier faces in this era, but it was certainly better than the alternatives.

He was reading the paper, minding his own business, when someone appeared out of nowhere.

The man, handsome in his own way, was skinny, with sandy blonde hair and a roman nose. Dressed in 21st century clothes, Jack knew that he was clearly displaced through time.

"Hey there, handsome." He said, giving the man his best grin.

The man gaped at him, taking a couple of steps toward him, pointing at him in disbelief. "Jack." He said.

"Captain Jack Harkness, actually."

"Yeah, well aware of the whole Captain thing. What … what are you doing …?" Before the man could say anything more, a leggy redhead appeared a few feet away.

She looked around, eyes red and make up running like she'd been crying, her pale cheeks stained with tears. But the smile when she spotted the man made her whole demeanor change from sad to blissful in a moment. "Rory!" She cried out, dashing for him and jumping into his arms. "Oh I was terrified I wouldn't find you."

"I'm here, Amy, it's okay." Rory, apparently, soothed the redhead before he turned back to Jack. "I know you don't know us, yet, Jack, but we could use a favor."

* * *

 

Jack had led them to a quaint little town house.

"It's not much, but it's yours. I'll leave you guys some cash, forged papers, get started. Easy enough since you come from across the pond." He explained as Amy and Rory looked around the simply furnished, two story interior.

"Can't thank you enough." Rory said, and Amy smiled with gratitude.

Jack shrugged, though she could tell there was a small part of him that was preening with the praise. "I've waited a while for my Doctor to find me, probably best that you two get settled while you wait for yours."

"And where you headed now, exactly?" Amy asked, crossing her arms and arching a brow at the Captain. "Where are you going to go?"

"With any luck back to England. Was planning to, anyway. I'll just stay in a hotel for the time being."

"No, no, you stay with us." Rory insisted. "You don't know this, yet, but we owe you a lot."

* * *

 

Jack stayed a week, and then he was gone.

Rory started work at the hospital the following day, his modern knowledge allowing him to pass off as a family practitioner.

Amy wrote. Novels, mostly, though she submitted some articles to the local papers here and there as simply A. Williams. It didn't earn a lot, but it kept her busy when the expected tasks of house work did little to distract from the loss of her daughter.

A couple months passed, and no Doctor.

There was, however, a missed period.

* * *

 

Anthony Augustus Brian Williams was born June 26th, 1939, about fifty years before his parents were even born. Amy clutched him close, and Rory wept in an entirely unmanly manner. Neither cared. Anthony was perfect in every way.

* * *

 

"I don't think I can explain how we magically have another baby." Rory said as Amy cuddled Anthony against her chest. "I mean, he's growing normally, and everyone would expect to see your belly get bigger. And then, what would we do with Anthony in the meantime? We can't have the Doctor and Rose shuttle us through the time line."

"So what are you suggesting, Rory?" Amy asked, keeping her voice as soft as she could as to not wake their son.

"I'm saying that maybe we should stay." He said with a little apprehension. "If the Doctor shows up …."

" _When,"_ Amy corrected.

"We should tell him we're happy here. We have a family, and a good life." He then realized something, eyebrows lifting. "You are happy, aren't you?"

Amy looked down at the beautiful, chubby face of their sleeping boy. "I miss Melody." She admitted. "I miss her everyday, but … but you're right. How can we explain Anthony?"

"We already lose so much of her time." Rory said regretfully. "And when, as you say, the Doctor gets here, well … maybe he can bring her by to see us and her brother."

* * *

 

It was four years after that deciding conversation that Amy found herself sitting across the table from her old friends. Her husband was at her side and holding her hand, as she explained their decision.

"But … your life. What will we tell Brian? What are we going to tell Melody?" The Doctor asked her, pain in his voice.

"Melody said she found out we were gone before you even came back for her." Amy replied. "Older Melody, River, she comes back now and then to see us. Her manipulator."

"How did she find out?" Rose asked, holding the Doctor's arm and rubbing it to give him comfort.

"We never asked." Rory replied. "She just asked us to trust that she knew."

They were all silent for a long pause, the ticking of the clock the only sound.

"Will you bring her by? Younger Melody?" Amy asked. "I want Anthony to meet his big sister, to understand why she's not with us all the time."

"Of course." The Doctor agreed, a said smile pulling at his lips. "Why don't we go fetch her right now? Be back in five minutes." He stood, pulling Rose along with him, and disappeared back into the TARDIS in the back garden.

Amy counted with baited breath the seconds that passed, staring at that spot like she had the night sky as a child, waiting for the Doctor to return.

A four minutes and forty-nine seconds, the TARDIS engines signaled their return.

* * *

 

"You always knew." The Doctor said as they left 1943, and the Ponds, at least for a little while.

"Yes and no," Rose replied moving to hold her husband from behind. "You said companions, but you never said who, how, or why. And then you sealed the memories, or I did, one or the other." She squeezed him, burying her nose in his jacket and taking in his scent. "I need to go stay with River and Jenny for about a week." She admitted.

The Doctor spun around, looking down at her in panic. "Why?" He asked, searching her face as he nudged for her to reopen her end of the bond.

She did, flooding him with love and comfort. "Because the River we left in Manhattan is likely the one I go and visit Jenny with. We tell her about Amy and Rory, 's all I know."

"What am I going to do with out you?" He asked her, cupping her cheeks.

Rose smiled. "Wait until you miss me so much you can't take it, then ask the TARDIS to take you to when I'd need you most." She replied, biting her lip as she grinned.

He smiled slightly. "If it must be done." He relented. "But before you leave … I think … I want you near. I need you near. I need to know you're safe, and whole, and at my side."

"Always." She swore. "Never gonna leave you, not like that."

"Good." He said, giving her a gentle kiss. "To Woman Wept. A moment for us, to grieve the loss of them, and celebrate their happy lives."

"We'll see them again, yeah?" Rose reminded him. "Holidays, and the occasional weekend. They'll want Melody around for those. It's not the end of our life with the Ponds as part of it."

"You're right." He nodded in agreement before breaking into a grin, laughing as tears came to his eyes. "Rose Tyler, always making me see the better side of things. Always making me better, even after all this time." He then sprung around the console, doing the solo dance of piloting before Rose could think to join in. He chuckled, looking at the time rotor bob with child-like joy. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS, next stop: everywhere!"

"Thought we were going to Woman Wept?" She asked.

"And eventually you go back with River to see Jenny, and I go see you in the past, but for now, Rose, now … it's on to the next adventure. Now, we run."


	38. Epilogue

_About a thousand years later …._

"So? What do you think?" He asked her as she entered the TARDIS, his accent going further and further North as he spoke Rose had just returned from bidding Vastra, Jenny, and Strax a farewell, and thanking them for taking care of Both she and the Doctor when neither could take care of themselves.

"You redecorated." Rose replied as she moved up the ramp and took in the darker but beautiful interior. "I kinda like it."

"Not so sure I do," The new man in front of her said as he got up from a very familiar arm chair on a split level. He moved to the stairs leading down to the main level of the new console room. "I think there should be more round things on the walls. I used to have lots of round things. I wonder where I put them?"

"Never had round things once in the last thousand plus years." She countered with a smirk playing on her lips.

"No, you're right." He ascended, moving his red lined jacket aside and stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets as he came to the bottom of the stairs. "But it's not the only thing that changed." He said, still not meeting her eye.

"No," She shook her head, moving toward him. She placed her hand on his cheek, getting him to look at her. "You alright now?"

He nodded. "You were smart, setting us to a preprogrammed spot before losing consciousness. Old age as a regeneration, not so great on the mind after two thousand." He covered her hand with his. "And with all the running around, solving all those murders, and figuring out the clockwork droids, I never got to ask … what do you think?" He asked, glancing down a himself.

Rose smiled, taking in the blue eyes before her, ancient beyond anything she'd ever seen, yet still twinkling with youth. There were lines on his face, but he still didn't look old by human standards. She loved the gray, though wasn't sure how to tell him when she sensed through their bond the panic he felt at seeing himself so aged.

"Clothes are a bit ridiculous, but I've come to expect that." She teased.

"Not the clothes I'm worried about." The Doctor countered. "I think Jenny telling us she's expecting so close to my regeneration might have had a bit of an effect on me."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Jenny make you go Scottish, too?"

"No, think that's because I really wanted a reason to complain." He said, though they both knew the real reason why. "Still, I look … old. Old by human standards. Older, even, then when we met. Part of me wonders if maybe you're disappointed."

She held his eye in her firm gaze. "Never worry." She stated. "'Cause I don't see anything but the man I love, will always love. Not gonna runaway 'cause of a change. You know that."

And as if she needed to prove it, and because she'd been dying to since coming to consciousness so soon after passing out, Rose kissed him. Meaning it to be simple, it didn't stay that way.

Rose melted against her new, new, new, new husband, and he chuckled in this throat as she moaned in hers.

"All these years, I still don't understand how it came to be that you chose me." He said against her lips. "Of all the destinies you saw, all the things that could have been for you, and you chose this. You chose us."

Rose smiled, pressing her forehead to his. "What other life could I have possibly wanted than one with you? You took my heart from the very first moment you took my hand. Never wanted to let go. So why would I chose any possible fate than the one that keeps me at your side?" And in perfect Gallifreyan, she added, "My love for you is not bound to a body, but a soul. It can not be changed or altered by anything except to grow stronger and more resilient. It is forever, and has existed in me from the moment we met. I love you, my Doctor, my —, and I always will."

He crashed his lips against hers, half dragging her back toward the console. There was a loud flick, then the engines began to grind.

"What are you doing?" She managed to pull her lips away from his long enough to ask.

"Getting us into the Vortex." He replied as he backed her toward the stairs, kissing her neck.

"But what about the advert? The one asking for the Doctor and the Bad Wolf? Never did find out who wanted to meet us there before the whole … thing." She said, finding it harder to think. Turned out he may have forgotten a lot of himself in the first hours post-regeneration, but he certainly didn't forget his knowledge of her.

"Later." He said. Then, he scooped her up bridal style, impressing her still with his ever present strength. "You have a bit more of an assessment to make before you can say for sure you don't want the other me back. And if you say you do, then I have to work on making sure you change your mind."

Rose laughed, joy bursting in her chest as the Doctor smiled warmly at her while carrying her up the stairs.

There would always be a mystery. Someone or something in the universe out to work against them, to try and steal their joy and the joy of their friends. But between them, she knew, there would always be happiness, even in the darkest times. They would always be team, the stuff of legends.

And there would always be love, for years and years to come.

**~FIN~**


End file.
